Man who admits being prostitute user will stand for Parliament

Mar 14 2007 By Eddie Docherty, East Kilbride News

A self-confessed prostitute user is bidding to represent the East Kilbride district at Holyrood.

The hotel night-watchman from West Mains says there is nothing wrong with using prostitutes and indeed he wants prostitution legalised.

John Houston, already known to East Kilbride voters, intends to stand once again for the UK Independence Party, whether its members like it or not.

The party voted against his adoption as a candidate at the weekend after he included his controversial position in his local UKIP manifesto.

However, the would-be politician says he will not be put off and says local UKIP members support him in his views and he declared:

“I can give a categorical assurance that I will be standing in East Kilbride for UKIP at the May elections and whether that’s East Kilbride UKIP or not, I’ll be standing.”

The 56-year-old expressed his views after the Scottish Executive announced it was to change the law to allow the police to take tougher action against those who use prostitutes rather than focus solely on the sellers of sex.

However, Mr Houston said, as someone who has visited prostitutes on 12 to 15 occasions over the last decade, a more common sense approach was needed to tackle the controversial issue.

Twice-married, Mr Houston of Park Terrace said this week: “Prostitution is not euphemistically referred to as the world’s oldest profession for nothing.

“It’s always existed, it always will and a less moralistic approach is needed to be taken.”

Mr Houston is no stranger to controversy as during the 2005 Westminster election he was deselected as UKIP’s East Kilbride candidate after he proposed a variety of highly controversial policies which included giving council workers free visits to brothels and for the organs of criminals to be used for transplant.

Amazingly UKIP was prepared to give him another chance and was ready to sanction him as its candidate for May’s Scottish Parliament election before his latest outburst.

However, the politician remains unrepentant on his views.

He continued: “Sexuality cannot be stifled.

“The sex industry ensures men are able to satisfy a need which exists and which can only be ignored for so long.”

However, UKIP says he has crossed the line this time and not only will he not be its candidate, he will be expelled from the party.

Its Scottish Organiser Peter Neilson said: “We were considering allowing John Houston to stand but we don’t intend to stand any first past the past candidates in May’s elections.

“But in view of what he’s said, we will be expelling him from the party.

“If he attempts to use the UKIP name we will take legal action.”