A UKIP branch chairman who shot to prominence with controversial remarks about "the almost absence of white faces in Ilford" will stand in Hendon in the General Election.

Jeremy Zeid, 60, chairman of UKIP’s Harrow branch, will contest Hendon in May for the Eurosceptic party.

Originally from Hendon, Mr Zeid says he is standing for parliament because “it needs a kick in the pants.”

He added: “I suppose I am a proverbial Victor Mildrew. We have a bunch of college kids running the country who don’t have a clue. There doesn’t seem to be a sense of reality.

"There’s a lot of high density development along the Edgware Road. I didn’t like what I saw. It’s an absolute disgrace."

Mr Zeid attracted widespread attention last year following comments he made on Twitter about “ethnic cleansing” in Ilford.

In one tweet, he said: “the almost absence of white faces in Ilford is worrying.”

Speaking about the remarks, he said: “Everybody says something they regret. It wasn’t the best choice of words. It’s too easy to get caught out in 140 characters. If I had been a member of another party, there wouldn’t have been a word."

He added: “What I care about is when a substantial proportion of your neighbours don’t want to integrate. That’s where I have a problem.”

A former Conservative councillor in Harrow from 2006 to 2010, Mr Zeid said he left the Tories because: “They are not a conservative party anymore. In order to look more touchy-feely, they have rolled over and sacrificed everything for power.”

Mr Zeid,  who lives in Kenton, said he would campaign on social care and housing issues, and was “keen" to enhance things like recycling and green energy schemes.

On the issue of Europe, and whether it is a big issue in the constituency, he said: “The EU affects everybody, but nobody really knows what it does. We no longer control our own country. Our political classes are out of touch.”

Hendon is currently represented by Conservative MP Matthew Offord, who holds a majority of 106.

The other candidates who will contest the seat are Andrew Dismore for Labour, and Ben Samuel for the Green Party.