“Polish prince” John Zylinski is throwing himself into the mayoral election, and he wants to ban Nigel Farage from London
"This must be the most boring election ever", says property boss John Zylinski, who's using his royal blood to add a bit of excitement to the London mayoral elections this year.
The so-called "Polish prince", a London-born property developer and the son of Polish aristocrat Captain Andrzej Zylinski, is officially registering to run for mayor on Wednesday, and plans to draw on his good breeding and real estate expertise to thwart his rivals.
Keen to win the hearts of the financial district's developers, the hopeful high-flyer tells The Capitalist: "To be in property takes as much courage as it does to win the Victoria Cross in the war. I don't think the other candidates have that courage." As mayor, he would "turbo-charge" London housing construction, aiming to build over one million homes in four years.
Prince Zylinski says that while Labour candidate Sadiq Khan and Conservative hopeful Zac Goldsmith have failed to impress London's property industry leaders with their own policies, the blue-blooded developer from Lewisham has gained support from City figures for his bold ideas.
The property boss, who is registering as an independent candidate on Wednesday, says that he's been praised by City grandee and Shard owner Irvine Sellar: "He told me I've got the right spirit!"
But what is the right spirit for a mayor of London? "We need a mayor with balls", was Zylinski's answer. When asked about his competitors' campaigns, the Polish property prince seemed to suggest they had none.
"In the past I've compared Zac to a Barbie doll", he told The Capitalist. "He's very handsome, but hasn't really achieved anything. As for Sadiq, he's far too wooden."
If you think his view of conservative mayoral candidate Zac Goldsmith is scathing, you don't want to know what he's said about UKIP leader Nigel Farage.
"He is a scoundrel. If I am elected mayor the first thing I will do is ban him from London."
Last April, the self-proclaimed "champion" of London's Polish community challenged UKIP leader Nigel Farage to a duel, posting a video online where he brandished a sword owned by his grandfather.
Farage politely declined, but the prince said that a poll carried out by the Telegraph after the video's release tells us that British politicians should be running scared.
"They asked their conservative readership who would win in a fight: me or Farage. I got 82 per cent of the vote. That says it all, really."