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Former soldier Dale McKenzie is promoting his bid to become a Sunderland MP by driving around the city’s streets in what he labels as his “independent think tank”.
The 8.3-tonne Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (CVR) Sultan, which he has hired for the duration of the campaign, made its debut near the Stadium of Light ahead of Sunderland football club’s recent defeat by Burton Albion.
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Hide AdSpeaking afterwards, Mr McKenzie, an independent candidate in the Sunderland Central constituency, said: “People were asking me if it was Sunderland's new central defender.”
He added: "It is a tongue in cheek exercise. I know someone who has one so I'm renting it off them for three weeks.
"It is about standing out and grabbing the attention of my constituents.
"It's a starting point for me and also a talking point among people. It is a way of getting my voice heard.”
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Hide AdWhile he did not drive a tank while serving for nearly eight years in the Royal Signals and Royal Irish regiments during the 1980s-90s, Mr McKenzie is eligible to drive the CVR Sultan on public streets after passing his category H licence.
The Black Cats fan said: “In the strict sense of the word, a military person might tell you that it is not a tank. But from a civilian point of view, it is.”
Mr McKenzie, who is managing director of commercial energy broker Utility Brokers, previously owned an FV432 armoured personnel carrier and so is used to driving former military vehicles around busy streets.
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Hide AdHe recalled: “I knew what to expect and we mainly get smiles and waves. We used to go night clubbing in it and for chips.”
Mr McKenzie, 48, of Southwick, has made fighting to close corporation tax loopholes one of his main election pledges and said: “At the top end of the scale, the corporation tax loopholes are massive. Close them and that benefits people locally with more money in the pot for education.
“Education is the start of everything. The better education you have, the better the life choices you are likely to make.”