New Culture Forum founder and former UKIP deputy leader Peter Whittle has died, his organisation said in a statement on Friday.

Peter Whittle has died aged 64, just weeks after he announced that he had been diagnosed with stage four oesophageal cancer. It was said in a statement that he had died on Thursday evening surrounded by his loved ones.

Well known in the Westminster right-wing political scene for both his generosity and impish sense of humour, Whittle had started out in television, working on cultural programmes and writing newspaper and magazine columns on arts and culture issues. Later in life he turned to politics and was elected to the London Assembly for Nigel Farage’s then-party, UKIP.

Whittle served as the leader of the UKIP faction in London and later was briefly deputy

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