Ukip candidate says he wants to 'licence the mosques'

Magnus Nielsen said he is satisfied he will not face censure from the party

A Ukip candidate has announced that he would want to 'licence mosques' if elected (Getty)

A Ukip candidate who previously said the Prophet Mohamed was a "gang leader" and likened Islam to organised crime has announced that he would want to "licence mosques" if elected.

Magnus Nielsen, who is Ukip's parliamentary candidate for Hampstead and Kilburn, told the Ham & High that his "great aim" was to "licence the mosques and licence the clergy".

"So that if the clergy are preaching doctrine that is in contravention of UK law and human rights then they lose their licences," he added. “If the mosque can’t find a licensed imam, they have to close down until they can."

The 65-year-old, who joined Ukip in 1993, has often stressed that his views on Islam are not official Ukip policy.

But the Ham & High reported that Nielsen said he is satisfied he will not face censure from the party, and believes Ukip leader Nigel Farage, who he has met on numerous occasions, may agree with his views on Islam.

"I haven’t asked Nigel Farage if he agrees but I wouldn't be surprised if he does," he said.

Last month Ukip MEP Gerard Batten caused controversy when he renewed calls for Muslims to sign a charter against violence in the wake of terror attacks in Paris.

In a blog post published a day after the attacks in which 17 people were killed by Islamic extremists, Batten argued that individuals who practice the faith should sign the charter to mark themselves out from the "tiny minority of Muslims who want to return to the Dark Ages of Arabia and live under Sharia Law".

When reports of the charter emerged in 2014, party leader Nigel Farage distanced himself from it and said its contents "are not and never have been Ukip policy".

"No such policy proposals would have been accepted by Ukip," he added in a statement.

The Independent has contacted Ukip for comment