Reform / Brexit Party – Page 9 – Croydon Constitutionalists

Mark Simpson, Reform UK candidate for Eltham & Chislehurst

With Reform UK rapidly appointing candidates for we spoke with Mark Simpson the candidate for Eltham & Chislehurst.

Can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am Mark Simpson and after a journey from Aberdeen to Yorkshire to China I find myself in London. After returning from a 7-year stint in China I returned to the UK / London to pursue a Masters degree in International Business and Politics from Queen Mary, University of London. Today, I work full-time in sales. When not working (or Reforming) I enjoy watching various sports (in a pub with a pint preferred!), reading and travelling. During my years abroad, I was fortunate to have spent time in so many amazing destinations in East Asia and really getting to see what a wonderful world we live in.

“politics is not about winning per se. It is about standing up for what you believe in and doing what you can to forward that.”

What made you decide to stand for Reform UK?

It is many ways simple, if it wasn’t for Reform UK, I would not in good conscience have a political party I could vote for. My political leanings have taken me along the same political path Nigel Farage has trodden. I stood for UKIP, supported the Brexit Party and upon my return kept my support behind the vehicle for change Richard Tice kept going, Reform UK. The establishment parties do not represent me. I remember growing up as a teenager and being anti-the Iraq War and seeing how Tony Blair ignored the millions that went to protest it and how he lied to the country to take us to war. (how many of the woes in the Middle East today stem from that?!) The Conservatives aren’t much better, I won’t waste anyone’s time repeating why.

I have always felt it important to support a party that aligns with my principles, even to the detriment of being able to taste victory. To me, politics is not about winning per se. It is about standing up for what you believe in and doing what you can to forward that. Reform UKs commonsense policies of stopping the boats and cutting immigration, cutting taxes for the poorest in society, abandoning Net Zero and being proud of our country and heritage resonate strongly.

Today my role at Reform UK has evolved. I stood in our first-ever election, the 2021 London Assembly candidate (List and constituency candidate) and now take care of several London Boroughs as the regional organiser. It is hard work, the party is building something entirely new from the ground up to challenge a political system that is designed to keep outsiders firmly out. I see from my discussions with members and chats on the doorstep what an opportunity there is for Reform UK. Brexit was hard fought but demonstrated the change millions across the entire UK wanted to see. Reform UK continues with this bold and crucially optimistic vision of how Britain should be.

“The current Labour MP Clive Efford and the prospective Conservative candidate both wanted and actively campaigned for a second referendum. That is simply not acceptable and must be challenged”

You’re the Spokesman for Eltham & Chislehurst what’s made you decide to represent this area?

As well as being the candidate for Eltham and Chislehurst I have contested Mottingham, Coldharbour and New Eltham ward during the Greenwich council elections of 2022 and will be standing again in the upcoming London assembly elections locally. This is a part of London that I have decided to call home.

It is an area that voted Leave in the EU referendum and will have a slate of candidates that supported remaining in the EU. The current Labour MP Clive Efford and the prospective Conservative candidate both wanted and actively campaigned for a second referendum. That is simply not acceptable and must be challenged. Leaving the EU was the first step on a journey to fundamentally change our country and the direction of travel successive governments had taken us down.

When I go out and talk to locals across the constituency I am struck by the lack of enthusiasm for politics. People are fed up with the current Tory government, which is no surprise after 13 years when most people would struggle to name much in the country that has changed for the better. There is no love for Labour, when people say they will vote for them at the next election, they are doing so as a vote against the Conservatives, not for Keir Starmer and his politics.

And this for me is where Reform UK is crucial. We stand on a platform that puts the interest of ordinary people first. In Reform UK we are NOT career politicians, we entered politics to give a voice the the forgotten and champion the big issues people really care about.

“I spoke to a lady who has had her house broken into 3 times in 18 months and feels totally unsupported by the police. I spoke with a local business owner about how shoplifters act with impunity, whilst he loses hundreds of pounds per week”

What do you see as the big concerns for the constituency and what issues do you hope to champion?

As with most of London, crime is the root cause of so many of the woes we face. Successive governments have failed to take the zero-tolerance approach to crime that is necessary. At the weekend I spoke to a lady who has had her house broken into 3 times in 18 months and feels totally unsupported by the police. I spoke with a local business owner about how shoplifters act with impunity, whilst he loses hundreds of pounds per week. These are real people, having lives and livelihoods ruined by the inability of the police. This must change and can never be normalised.

We must also address the lack of TFL services and accessibility to them. I will push for the DLR expansion to be continued into the constituency and regular express busses to be linked to the Elizabeth Line so its benefits can be shared.

There is also a feeling among residents that Eltham is a forgotten part of Greenwich. Despite having elected Conservative councillors in Eltham, what is really needed is a strong voice for change that will speak up for the constituency and its residents.

For those eager to help, how can they get involved in the campaign?

All help is welcomed, regardless of experience or how long you can commit. The establishment has had many years of a heard start on Reform UK, but with support we can be the change people are looking for. I am active on Twitter @RealMgSimpson and can be contacted by email at [email protected].

There really is something for everyone to get involved with and I am happy to discuss!

Alan Cook, Reform UK candidate for Bromley & Biggin Hill and the London Assembly

We first interviewed Alan Cook in 2019 when he was a prospective candidate for the then Brexit Party. We caught up again with Alan who is now the Reform UK Party candidate for Bromley & Biggin Hill.

Can you briefly introduce yourself again to our readers

I am the Reform UK candidate for Bromley & Biggin Hill and also a candidate for the party in the London Assembly. I live with my girlfriend of 26 years with our two amazing daughters and a fox terrier. We split our time living between Bromley and Westminster, obviously a great situation to be in and ideal if I do manage to secure the parliamentary position. I have had a long and successful career in business. I think it is time to give something back to my wonderful country. The greasy pole of politics for its own sake holds no attraction for me. I see public service as just that, being a servant to the public. These days unfortunately it appears that many in parliament are self-serving and not aware of the true honour and meaning of the role.

“the end result being them both admitting that the illegal crossings by boats could be stopped immediately but there is not the political will within the party to do so”

…and tell us what you’ve been up to in the past few years since we last spoke?

After the 2019 election I joined the Tories and started the procedure to become a candidate, however it didn’t take me long to discover that it was no longer a party with conservative values or policies and was not going to be anytime soon. My plan to steer the party from the inside was unfortunately rather naive.

This was borne out over a conversation I had on immigration in the Commons with David Davis and Sir Bill Wiggin, the end result being them both admitting that the illegal crossings by boats could be stopped immediately but there is not the political will within the party to do so and that it would not look good internationally!!! I believe uncontrolled immigration, both legal and illegal is the driving force behind so many of the issues we are facing in this country, pressures on education, health, housing, and employment. It is very well known that low skilled migration is not positive for the economy. Needless to say, I left the Tory party that week and joined Reform UK.

Work wise, I was involved in studying new technologies including Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) and Blockchain and have worked closely with Triad Group plc, a main list quoted company in the IT industry and also with one of the UKs leading layer-1 blockchain platform providers. However, I am now fully invested in politics, which has already earnt me the nicknamed ‘One job Al’, which is a little dig at the incumbent Bromley MP.

You are a member of the All Party Parliamentary Groups (APPG) for Artificial Intelligence and for Blockchain. How did you get involved in these?

I’m also involved with two more, the APPG for Crypto & Digital Assets and the APPG for Digital Skills, which is a very rewarding one. Its remit is digital upskilling and ensuring the non-tech literate are not left behind but also to ensure that the race to digital services doesn’t erase face to face public interaction. My involvement in these was necessary through the work I was doing with Triad Group Plc. I am less involved now but I still dedicate some of my free time towards them. It is important that the Commons and the Lords are properly informed regarding technology and how to regulate it.

Saying that, we decided that trying to regulate A.I. would be futile. Apart from the fact that technology does not respect national borders, A.I. is evolving at such an incredible pace, we realised the best way forward was to create an advisory framework instead of trying to regulate it.

There are both fun and serious sides to APPGs. Getting an invite to the AGM of the APPG for beer is a bonus but on the other hand, having weapons manufacturing companies debating against representatives from the United Nations and Amnesty International on the use of A.I. in target selection for deadly weapons, brings home the seriousness of the work.

“With no difference between the two parties, we now have a one-party system. Never before has government reform been more needed, thankfully Reform UK is giving the people an option”

Beyond technology, what are the passions that have found you throwing your hat into the electoral ring again?

I’ve already mentioned immigration, but you are right tech has kept me in the political arena to a degree, although it is a-political, which is very healthy for creating a balanced view. I do get other insights from being the vice-chair of a House of Commons based social think tank. Through this I have good access to the Commons and to many people therein.

At a recent Commons breakfast, the day after the Labour Party cabinet reshuffle, I received wonderful insights into the possible future under a Labour government. One Lord at the breakfast announced that after the reshuffle, a gaggle of peers in the Lords surrounded Peter Mandelson and congratulated him on being back in power, obviously a reference to the number of Blairites moved into the Labour cabinet. Also, at the same breakfast, the Times and Sunday Times political editor said that the rumour of a rift between Blair and Starmer was fabricated, in fact both Blair and Brown have Starmer’s ear. Having access to inside information is one of the things that has drawn me back into politics. This recent titbit very much cements my reason for doing so. I want the UK to be sovereign and self-determining – to be able to decide its own destiny. Clearly Kier is a puppet for Blair, Brown and Mandelson, all of whom are in league with the global elite, as is the billion-dollar Sunak couple. I believe the UK should not pander to super national corporations, bodies and billionaires, that is why I am standing and am very passionate on this subject.

We used to have a two-party system before the Tories slid to the left. We now have the highest taxation in 70 years, high debt, a nanny state, big government, increasing reliance on benefits, uncontrolled immigration, and a leaning towards the globalist agenda instead of being UK centric. With no difference between the two parties, we now have a one-party system. Never before has government reform been more needed, thankfully Reform UK is giving the people an option.

I shouldn’t complain, the lack of choice makes us more relevant and our job easier. When canvassing we tend to hear either ‘thank you for doing what you are doing and you have my vote’ or ‘who are you’? But again ‘who are you’ is an easier thing to address than ‘I disagree with you’, we are in a good place and voter intention polls are moving in our favour. We’re in this for the long term, we are not just looking at this election but we are also planning for the next.

The existing two or as it seems one party system now, has produced truly awful results over the last 30 years and it is genuinely time for reform.

My objective in seeking election to the House of Commons is to perform my public duties to the best of my abilities and energies. If I have the honour to be elected to serve and represent Bromley & Biggin Hill. I will intend to engage as a very active constituency MP and a plain-speaking member of the House of Commons. I will set up a staffed constituency office and spend significant time throughout the whole constituency.

“I chose to represent Bromley & Biggin Hill as I feel very lucky to have grown up there, I look back fondly and feel protective, I want others to have similar positive experiences”

You’re the Spokesman for Bromley and Chislehurst what’s made you decide to represent this area?

My family moved to Bickley when I was in my early teens. Bromley was a pleasant and safe place to be at that age, it is no longer safe, and that will be one of my absolute priorities. I may have spent a little too much time in The Bickley Arms and the Ramblers Rest, but also the Chislehurst Caves as it was so close to where we lived. I knew the tour guides and we used to explore parts of the caves that were not open to the public, there was always something interesting to do locally.

Bromley is still a wonderful place to live, but I have seen changes that are not positive. Not just in local government services, health education, policing but also the social cohesion and I think planning has a role to play here. The Tories always tend to fall in favour of big business at the expense of the residents, I believe the residents and small local businesses should always be my first consideration.

So, I chose to represent Bromley & Biggin Hill as I feel very lucky to have grown up there, I look back fondly and feel protective, I want others to have similar positive experiences.

“I’m setting up a team to help the funding to get the Downe Activity Centre, an 86 acres centre back up and running for the Scouts. I enjoyed camping there as a child, when these places are gone, they are gone for good”

What do you see as the big concerns for the constituency and what issues do you hope to champion?

Transport: I’ve been working closely with Howard Cox our London mayoral candidate on the creep of anti-motorist policy, ULEX LTN’s etc. Affordable private transport in conjunction with a fit for purpose public transportation network is key for the functioning of work, family, and our social lives.

Crime: Zero tolerance on knife crime, kick off with a knife amnesty, more visible policing, a greater number of bobbies on the beat. Remove all wokeness from the police force, have them concentrate on key policing, not chasing transgressions on social media. I’m setting up a team to help the funding to get the Downe Activity Centre, an 86 acres centre back up and running for the Scouts. I enjoyed camping there as a child, when these places are gone, they are gone for good, young people need a greater number of local outlets for fun and learning.

Planning: Change local planning so it favours the people that live in the constituency, not big business.

Waste: I will seek to ensure no taxpayers’ money is wasted by the council on vanity projects, diversity managers etc. I will stop the council’s headlong rush to reach net zero by 2027, this totally unnecessary cost will be borne by the residents amidst a cost-of-living crisis, it is total madness.

Woke: I will endeavour to erase gender ideology and critical race theory from education and any department or body that is in any way publicly funded, full stop.

And of course, it’s very important that I hear from the people what their issues are, my contact details are my website just google reform Alan Cook or enter the site address which is below.

For those eager to help, how can they get involved in the campaign?

We have regular social drinks meeting in Bromley where we talk policy, plan street stalls and leafletting walks around the constituency. Every 2 to 3 months I plan on organising larger speaking events at which we will invite senior people from the party and other leading political entities. The last one included speeches from Ben Habib, Howard Cox, Roger Gravett and me, it was excellent fun, informative and very well received.

Check the events page on my website for details of future events – www.ReformUKBromley.co.uk

You can also find Reform UK Bromley on Facebook and Twitter, follow Alan on Twitter and email him via [email protected].

Interview and Q&A with Howard Cox Reform UK Candidate for Mayor of London – 18th October

Join us for an interview and Q&A with Howard Cox Reform UK Candidate for Mayor of London on Wednesday 18th October at 7pm.

Venue:

Upstairs, Whispers,
5 High St,
Purley
CR8 2AF

Part of our #ThirdWednesday drinks and events, we hold these in association with Dick Delingpole’s #ThirdWednesday Libertarian drinks club, and POLITICS in PUBS a group of people from across the political spectrum who value the freedom to question and to speak openly.

Join us Upstairs, Whispers, 5 High St, Purley CR8 2AF on Wednesday 18th October, from 7pm. Space in the room will be first come first served.

Facebook: https://fb.me/e/5F0PxTyIK

Dave Holland, Reform UK candidate for Mid Bedfordshire

Following the resignation of Nadine Dorries the Mid Bedfordshire by-election is coming up on the 19^th October. We’ve spoken with local Dave Holland, who is the Reform Party candidate for the election.

“I felt I had a choice between shouting ever more loudly at the evening news on TV or to get involved”

Can you introduce yourself to the people of Mid-Bedfordshire and tell us what got you involved in politics?

I’m Dave Holland, Reform UK candidate for the Mid Bedfordshire constituency. I was born in Ampthill, have remained local all my life and currently live in Shillington. During the years following the referendum I became increasingly disillusioned about the chaos in government, the lack of will to carry out the will of the majority of the British people.

I felt I had a choice between shouting ever more loudly at the evening news on TV or to get involved. I made a start by volunteering to canvass for the Brexit Party in the Peterborough by-election & my involvement snowballed from there.

Early in 2022 I was assigned the Mid Bedfordshire constituency for Reform UK & made a start putting my campaign together. My initial thinking was that Mid Bedfordshire might be due a by-election at any time as I couldn’t see Boris Johnson lasting for a full term & fully expected Nadine Dorries to be on his honours list. I have been proved correct in that regard & if it was not for Ms Dorries’ intransigence with regard to actually resigning we would have a new MP in Mid Bedfordshire already.

“We believe in and support personal freedoms, personal responsibility, fairness & equality for all”

Can you introduce the party and say a bit about what it stands for.

Reform UK was formed in 2020, from the mothballed foundations of the Brexit Party. We had hoped that after we officially left the EU that our government would embrace the many opportunities of being a sovereign nation, however it soon became apparent that embracing those opportunities was not on their agenda.

We saw the need for fair representation for the many hundreds of thousands of disillusioned, angry Brexiteers who feel that they are being short changed.

There is far more in need of reform than just our relationship with the EU, the level of government waste has increased in recent years. All our public services are in decline while our taxes keep increasing.

Reform UK are a small c conservative Party of low taxes & small state. We believe in and support personal freedoms, personal responsibility, fairness & equality for all. We will never all end up with equal outcomes, but we should ensure that everyone has access to equal opportunity to succeed.

“There is not a single bank branch in the Mid Bedfordshire constituency. Flitwick for example, a town of over 13,000 doesn’t have a bank or post office”

If elected what are the local issues you want to champion?

Mid Bedfordshire faces the same challenges that are happening across the UK. Diminishing services, diminishing standard of living but with ever growing taxes & costs.

One of the biggest issues locally is access to health services. Despite all the house building in the area we have seen no additional capacity in GP surgeries, Dentists or Hospitals. This has led to worse clinical outcomes for thousands and it shows no sign of being addressed. The situation won’t be fixed using the current strategy which is what has got us into this situation.

A larger population requires more hospital beds, not less, more Doctors, not less, more nurses not less. The government blame the care sector, but they have heaped more pressure on the care sector without scaling it with resources required so it could cope as they have cut bed capacity and front-line staff numbers.

We don’t train enough Doctors annually because the BMA haven’t allowed it. 38,000 applied in 2022 nationally, but less than 10,000 were accepted. 5,000 Doctors retire annually, so at the current rate we will never reach a point whereby we are training enough of the vital staff that will allow the NHS to treat us all in good time.

We have many other local issues, transport infrastructure, building on greenbelt land, policing and crime as well as the ongoing loss of local amenities, banks, post offices and other essential facilities. There is not a single bank branch in the Mid Bedfordshire constituency. Flitwick for example, a town of over 13,000 doesn’t have a bank or post office and so people have to drive into Ampthill to access a post office. This doesn’t represent progress to me and is a backward step for any thriving community.

How can people find out more and get involved in your campaign?

I will be out canvassing everyday up until polling day with a team of enthusiastic volunteers. You can find out more about Reform UK at https://www.reformparty.uk and much more about me and my campaign at https://www.dave-holland.co.uk if you would like to come and help us canvassing please email [email protected] for details or call me on 07903 416187.

Dave has a fundraiser you can contribute to, you can also follow him on Facebook and Twitter.

Wet summer, whilst Europe burns. Is it weather or is it climate change? – Your Views (Part 3)

In the UK we’ve faced a wet summer, whilst we’ve been told Europe burns. Are we being told the truth? Are these problems man-made or due to climate change? If climate change, what if anything should we do about it?

We asked our contributors for their views.

Back to Part 2

Chris Scott, Reform UK

“the British summer has never been a given: predictably unpredictable. Nothing this year we haven’t seen in living memory”

The following represents my own, reasonably humble opinion: all or even part of it not necessarily coincident with that of Reform UK.

We’ve certainly had a topsy-turvy summer in Blighty, and there were heatwaves in southern Europe while we were almost shivering and damp here. But the British summer has never been a given: predictably unpredictable. Nothing this year we haven’t seen in living memory, following a day or two of just about record highs last year.

First let me admit to a very limited knowledge and understanding of climatology. On the other hand, 35 years in aviation and a general interest in natural sciences have led me to a close interest and reasonable understanding of weather, and its short-term forecasting.

” I rarely give heed to bold predictions – eagerly seized on by journalists – of weather extremes 10 or 14 days in advance. As for what sort of weather we can expect in the next month or three: forget it!”

Weather forecasting has been largely computerised and enables meteorologists to predict most types of weather phenomena up to 4 or 5 days ahead with remarkable accuracy. Beyond that period, reliability rapidly declines, and I rarely give heed to bold predictions – eagerly seized on by journalists – of weather extremes 10 or 14 days in advance. As for what sort of weather we can expect in the next month or three: forget it!

That doesn’t mean, of course, that the climatologists’ gloomy analyses of long-term climate-change trends can simply be dismissed, nor that human activity has no effect on world climate. But it seems to me that, to take one example, they are not always comparing like with like in their historic graphs of temperature. For example, many rural thermometric sites in the 19th century have since been surrounded by buildings. Temperature readings are bound to be generally higher. In one sense, that is man-made climate change! Can and is due allowance made for that?

They claim that extreme weather events, including fatalities, are and will continue to be on the increase. But, in this age of mass, almost instant worldwide communication, events that would have remained unrecorded – or at least overlooked internationally, even 50 years ago – are on our TV screens within 24 hours. And the 24-hour news media make a big proportion of their living by reporting them in the greatest detail.

“There are doubts on the impartiality of a climate science that is funded by governments and international organisations (using your taxes and mine)”

There are doubts on the impartiality of a climate science that is funded by governments and international organisations (using your taxes and mine) pursuing a globalist agenda that would impose swingeing restrictions on the freedoms, lifestyles and even the diet of ordinary citizens, while its leaders’ swan around in private jets from conference to conference with their entourages. In the UK, to take one example, present government policy would ban the production of fossil fuel-powered cars in just over six years’ time, while the electric alternatives remain problematical, to say the least.

Finally, there is also a shrillness in the pronouncements of the self-styled climate-emergency lobby, and an unwillingness to engage in calm debate. Climate-change sceptics are branded as climate-change “deniers”, a term that implies bigotry. An old adage springs to mind: “methinks thou doth protest too much…”

You can contact Chris at [email protected]. More information on Reform UK and their policies can be found at https://www.reformparty.uk/.

Simon Richards, former CEO of The Freedom Association

“Let’s be honest – most of us don’t even know for sure how tomorrow’s weather will turn out.

Consequently, I prefer to hedge my bets about climate change”

Unlike so many politicians who pontificate about climate change with all the certainty of meteorological professors who have also been granted forward climatic vision for the next century or two, I claim no such expertise. Let’s be honest – most of us don’t even know for sure how tomorrow’s weather will turn out.

Consequently, I prefer to hedge my bets about climate change. My guess is that it is mostly down to natural causes, but that it makes sense to treat the planet and the atmosphere with care and respect. For that reason, I reckon it makes sense to develop renewable energy and nuclear energy. But it is also sensible to try to reduce our energy dependence on what are often hostile overseas powers, so I also favour using all domestic energy sources, including shale oil, coal, oil, natural gas etc. as necessary.

“As usual, the Left is using fear to drive an expansion of state control and interference in people’s lives.”

As usual, the Left is using fear to drive an expansion of state control and interference in people’s lives. Excessive adoption of the Net Zero agenda in the UK must not be allowed to impoverish us, whilst Communist China and others make a mockery of our self-flagellation.

You can listen to podcast with Simon at https://croydonconstitutionalists.uk/podcast-episode-82-simon-richards-local-election-results-no-sunset-for-eu-laws/.

Back to Part 2

Photo by USGS on Unsplash

Podcast Episode 83 – Howard Cox: Reform UK’s Anti-ULEZ Mayoral Candidate

We are joined by Howard Cox, who was recently announced as the Reform UK candidate to take on Sadiq Khan in next year’s election to be Mayor of London. Howard explains his reasons for standing and his plans for London.

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Contents:

00:00 – Intro
01:37 – Who is Howard Cox?
05:07 – Why Reform UK?
07:20 – ULEZ
10:16 – Policing & Other Policies
13:50 – Wasted Vote?
18:06 – Campaigning
21:39 – How to get involved
23:08 – Website & Events
25:08 – Outro

Chris Scott, Reform UK candidate, Horley Central & South ward, Reigate and Banstead Council.

We spoke with Chris Scott when he ran in Horley in 2022. Chris is running again in this years local elections and we were delighted to hear more on the party, and Chris’ campaign for Reigate and Banstead Council.

“Far too many unacademic A-Level students are being steered towards inappropriate, “soft” university courses instead of some form of apprenticeship. This leaves them with the prospect of repaying a large debt”

So what is our take on the current dysfunctional governance of the United Kingdom? Or should I say our DIS-United Kingdom and, seven years after the Referendum, our status of having achieved Brexit in name only? How many of the laws that Parliament enacted at the behest of the European Commission have been repealed? When I last heard, none. it seems that the Prime Minister, who claims to have voted to Leave without campaigning for it, is in the thrall of Tory MPs who are instinctive Remainers. An increasing majority of his cabinet voted Remain and, one suspects, pay merely lip-service to Brexit.

In more general, national terms, Reform UK advocates that:

1) Schools should never again be closed during a pandemic. Literacy and numeracy must be prioritised. Sport must be offered and encouraged. Pupils should not be encouraged to question their sex. If any child shows signs of gender dysphoria, the parents must be consulted. Far too many unacademic A-Level students are being steered towards inappropriate, “soft” university courses instead of some form of apprenticeship. This leaves them with the prospect of repaying a large debt unless they fail to earn well in their subsequent careers.

2) The NHS is systemically broken, however excellent are its clinicians. Due to failure to train enough of our own, we are poaching too many foreign clinicians that are trained and needed in their home countries. Too much money is being wasted. The terms of service of GPs are counterproductive for their patients. Major revisions are essential, even if they involve some form of insurance or means-tested contributions for consultations. Excessive delays for consultations or treatment should qualify patients to go private at NHS expense.

3) On immigration, it is unacceptable that people arriving illegally with no personal documentation by hazardous, highly expensive crossings of the English Channel should all be treated by default as genuine asylum-seekers at taxpayers’ expense and parachuted in large groups into small communities nationwide.

“People earning little more than the national median wage are becoming subject to 40% tax. That is grotesque”

4) Major tax reform is essential. People on low incomes should not be paying income tax at all. People earning little more than the national median wage are becoming subject to 40% tax. That is grotesque, as are the thresholds for inheritance tax. People who paid tax on their earnings throughout their lifetime should be entitled to hand the residual funds and property down to their children without further taxation.

5) “Net Zero” must be abandoned. It will ruin our economy and cause serious hardship, particularly to people on low-to-medium incomes – unlike the legislators who dreamed it up. Globally futile, it will be ignored by the major world polluters, such as China and India, whose economies will profit at our expense. Wind and solar could never reliably supply even half our needs, and their energy output is non-storable in the present state of technology. Likewise, the ban on production of internal-combustion-engine cars from 2030 is impracticable and must be abandoned before it’s too late. It would reveal the limitations of our national grid, and deplete the finite, worldwide resources of minerals needed to produce batteries that last less than ten years and are extremely expensive to replace. Decades of neglect on nuclear technology after our early international lead have denied us its ideal role in supplying the base load for electricity generation. Given that the variable excess demand cannot be supplied reliably by wind and solar, and hydrogen is not widely available in the foreseeable future, fossil-fuels remain an essential energy source. Further exploitation of North Sea gas and oil reserves must be considered, as well as fracking, which our present prime minister promised to do during his Tory leadership campaign as recently as last autumn.

6) HMG boasts its alleged spending of 2% of GDP, but the war in Ukraine has highlighted the latter’s inadequacy. Our three armed services are left in a parlous state. The Royal Navy has two large aircraft carriers that are short of aircraft and, perhaps even worse, suitable escort vessels. The Army headcount is at an all-time low. In the RAF, aircrew are not flying enough to maintain experience levels. All three services are, it seems, more concerned with diversity than excellence.

“There is a general slide in government towards a form of woke, defeatist, social-Marxism that will persist as long as the main parties at Westminster are ruling the roost in the UK”

7) There is a general slide in government towards a form of woke, defeatist, social-Marxism that will persist as long as the main parties at Westminster are ruling the roost in the UK. When elected, Reform UK MPs will challenge that damaging, conventional mindset.

Of course, none of the above issues can be at the forefront of my local-election campaign in Horley Central & South.

“Town centres must be reinvigorated with cuts in business rates, free car-parking, more residential accommodation and targeted investment. In Horley, too many small retailers have been priced out”

In addition to the issues I have raised on the front of my personal election leaflet (below), Reform UK proposes the following policies in local government.

(a) Local communities should have more say in their affairs than at present. A random example of that would be the recent overruling by HMG of Braintree Council’s attempt to stop so-called asylum-seekers being accommodated on the old aerodrome at Weathersfield to the detriment of the local community.

(b) Unnecessary local spending should be cut. Do lesbian, gay and bisexual residents really appreciate pedestrian crossings being repainted in rainbow colours?

(c) Town centres must be reinvigorated with cuts in business rates, free car-parking, more residential accommodation and targeted investment. In Horley, too many small retailers have been priced out.

As a Reigate and Banstead district Councillor for Reform UK in Horley Central & South, I would make my own decisions on local policy initiatives without being subject to diktat from party HQ.

You can read our first interview with Chris at https://croydonconstitutionalists.uk/chris-scott-reform-uk/. You can also contact Chris at [email protected] and find out more about Reform UK and their policies via https://www.reformparty.uk/.

Marc Mason, Reform UK candidate, Wilmington, Sutton-at-Hone & Hawley Borough Ward, Dartford Borough Council.

“I no longer felt that recent consecutive governments were in touch with the real world and that hard-working residents were being left behind”

Tell us a bit about yourself and your party?

As a person of working class, I no longer felt that recent consecutive governments were in touch with the real world and that hard-working residents were being left behind. Reform UK campaign on sensible politics and everyday issues that others no longer do.

“Local businesses are at the very heart of the communities and those should be protected”

Can you introduce the ward to us and what you can bring to the area?

Wilmington, Sutton-at-Hone and Hawley is a leafy village ward. Local businesses are at the very heart of the communities and those should be protected. Extra homes on Brownfield sites should be voted on by residents who should have the ultimate and final say on if they should be built.

David Anstiss / *St Michael and All Angels Church* / CC BY-SA 2.0

More widely what would you like to see change at Dartford Borough Council and across the area?

I would like to see more residents in council wards given a stronger say in decisions that can greatly impact themselves, their families and future generations.

How can people find out more or get in touch if they want to get involved?

For direct contact please email me on [email protected] and or go to https://www.reformparty.uk/.

Martin Barringer, Reform UK candidate, Cranleigh West ward, Waverley Borough Council

Martin is standing in the Cranleigh West ward, Waverley Borough Council.

“I wish to see Cranleigh thrive and continue to be a great place to live for all residents. Changes must be for the benefit of our community.”

I have been a Cranleigh resident for more than 30 years and have loved living here. I wish to see Cranleigh thrive and continue to be a great place to live for all residents. Changes must be for the benefit of our community.

Preserve our rural environment and oppose over-development.
Encourage independent shops for a thriving High Street.
Co-ordinate councils and utility companies for efficient local services.

” We will protect our green spaces and heritage by building new homes on brownfield sites and make sure real infrastructure like road improvements, school places and medical facilities come first”

What We Stand For Locally

Planning – We will protect our green spaces and heritage by building new homes on brownfield sites and make sure real infrastructure like road improvements, school places and medical facilities come first.
No Whip – All of our councillors are whip-free, which means they can vote on matters that concern you and your community without interference from the party.
Save Our High Streets – Rescue our struggling high streets with free parking, business rate cuts, encouraging homes in town centres, targeted investment, local resident discount schemes and more.

What We Stand For Nationally

Cheaper Energy – We will renationalise utility companies, making them 50% taxpayer owned and 50% British pension fund owned. We will approve of shale gas exploration so we no longer rely on Putin or Macron for our energy.
Illegal Immigration – It’s time to put a stop to vile traffickers, who are profiteering while people drown in the Channel. We will return boats to French ports and take zero tolerance approach to illegal immigration.

Contact Martin at [email protected] or go to www.reformparty.uk for more information.

Peter Appleford, Reform UK candidate, Lightwater Ward, Surrey Heath Borough Council.

“I believe in freedom of speech, providing democratic choice and spending taxpayer’s money wisely”

I have lived in Surrey since 1975. I am your Reform UK (formerly the Brexit Party) candidate in Lightwater Ward, for Surrey Heath Borough Council.

I stood for Reform UK in the 2021 Surrey County Council Elections. Prior to that I was an active campaigner for Brexit from 2013. I am a retired Computer Consultant.

I believe in freedom of speech, providing democratic choice and spending taxpayer’s money wisely. Any help with leafletting would be greatly appreciated.

If you can help get in touch via [email protected].