In the run-up to the upcoming 2021 Senedd Election, Nub News will be profiling the candidates running for Cardiff South and Penarth.

Today, we met with UKIP candidate Paul Campbell in the Tesco Superstore car park.

Of all the 2021 Senedd election candidates we have met for this series, it was Paul Campbell who made the most flamboyant entrance.

We heard him before we saw him.

"Vote for UKIP on May 6th", he shouted through a speaker positioned on the passenger seat of the flag-adorned BMW he refers to as 'the Batmobile'.

Paul was born in Splott to a steelworker father and mother from Tiger Bay.

He has worked in retail for most of his life, including 10 fondly remembered years as manager of Toys "R" Us and another 10 for Woolworths.

But his biggest passion is Elvis Presley.

"He had everything really," he said. "I do a lot of impersonating and have three jumpsuits - just need to lose a bit of weight to get in them.

"I love the Elvis scene. There's a great little family of Elvis people."

Although he lives in Bridgend, Paul makes frequent trips to Penarth and Cardiff to drum up support for his election bid.

"The response has been, as ever, mixed. Everything from 'Up yours!' to 'well done'.

"We were best known as the party that brought us Brexit. We're proud of what we've done, achieving independence from Europe," he continued.

"Now we're looking at individual independence, independence of the individual to have freedom.

"I feel like a lot of politics these days is about control. The Labour Party in Wales is about controlling our lives too much, not giving us freedom - freedom of speech and freedom to do what we want."

We ask whether Paul is referring to the Welsh Government's COVID-19 response.

"Yes," he replied. "We understand that COVID has been a horrible thing and we needed to have lockdowns. They were just too severe and too long. We question whether they've been proportionate.

"Fundamentally, decisions should be made by individuals. If people want to wear a mask and cower in fear for several years, that's up to the individuals."

Besides being against the enforcement of social distancing (here it feels relevant to add that Paul proffered a handshake upon arrival), Paul has also made anti-wokeism a cornerstone of his campaign.

"Politicians in the Senedd are more preoccupied with virtue signalling programmes for minority groups so they can look good rather than for the good of the majority of the Welsh people," he said.

"The policy of tearing down statues of our heroes and renaming streets is a total waste of money and not what the British people want."

It wasn't long before the issue of immigration came up.

"The policy of making Wales a nation of sanctuary really isn't popular among the working man in Wales and it's encouraging illegal asylum seekers to come into Wales.

"We have to look after genuine asylum seekers, but when thousands of people are coming over from France - are they really in danger? France is not a war torn country.

"The problem is as well we're encouraging people to make this dangerous journey across the channel."

Paul is in favour of lowering inheritance tax and protecting pensions. He wants to abolish the Welsh Assembly and considers his party the most moderate vehicle through which this can be achieved.

"We had a difficult time for a while, but under new leadership we will root people who don't reflect our values. We're just a slightly right of centre party with good common sense values."

Read UKIP's manifesto HERE.