A MMA fighter standing as a candidate for Change UK in the upcoming European elections has been forced to resign after tweeting he would support Brexit if it stopped Romanian pickpockets.
Ali Sadjady - a former Tory - was candidate for just over eight hours before resigning after tweets resurfaced from 2017.
Mr Sadjady tweeted in November 2017: “When I hear that 70% of pick pockets caught on the London Underground are Romanian it kind makes me want Brexit."
The tweets, first revealed by The Independent , also reveal that until recently Mr Sadjady didn't support a second referendum on leaving the EU and considered attempts to stop anti-democratic.
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Change UK are a party founded explicitly to stop Brexit happening.
The embarassing resignation comes just hours after the party launched its candidate list for the European election - raising questions over its vetting process.
Mr Sadjady branded Mayor of London Sadiq Khan a "joke of a man" for advocating a second Brexit referendum.
He also tweeted: "To those petitioning for a second EU referendum, don't you believe in democracy or does it not apply when things don't go your way?"
Speaking to the Independent a spokesperson for Change UK said: "Following discussions, Ali Sadjady has reflected on his inappropriate tweet from 2017 and agreed to stand down from the list of potential candidates."
