Nigel Farage sent another strong message to establishment Labour and Conservatives today as his new Brexit Party unveiled their latest candidates for the European Elections including a nurse, a veteran, and a businessman.
Mr Farage spoke at the event, during which five new MEP candidates were announced, saying how much the Brexit Party has grown since its launch on Friday, April 12th. The party now reports having over 67,000 registered supporters, with a registration fee of £25-a-head meaning the party may now be holding as much as £1.5 million in membership subscriptions alone.
The Brexit leader went on to say how he was happy that the party was squeezing Conservative votes but also that they would be focusing on Labour heartlands in the Midlands, the North, and in South Wales. He spoke of the five million Labour ‘leave’ voters who had been abandoned by the party and said that his new party would represent their interests.
Among the new candidates announced was Claire Fox, a former Marxist and Revolutionary Communist Party member and free speech campaigner, who spoke of Labour’s “sneering” and “contempt” for those supporters who voted to leave the European Union.
While she acknowledged differences between herself and Mr Farage, she stressed that “on the key question of implementing Brexit, no ifs, no buts, on the crucial issue of honouring Democracy, Nigel and I agree wholeheartedly. This is a watershed moment for democracy and this means democratic principles override left/right allegiances.”
“I am standing in solidarity with the millions of citizens whose voices and votes had been traduced and trashed,” she added.
The next candidate announced was wildlife conservationist and war hero James Glancy who it was claimed by newspaper the Daily Mail after the event served in the Special Boat Service, the Naval special forces branch equivalent to the better known SAS.
Mr Glancy served three tours of Afghanistan and was awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross, reciving the medal from Queen Elizabeth II.
He said, “The crisis that is facing our country right now has compelled me to stand,” adding, “the politicians at Westminster, the Members of Parliament, the Lords are right now undermining democracy.”
A third candidate announced was Matthew Patten, a noted charity director who told the crowd, “I am all about putting trust back into our politics and closing the gap between government and the people.”
The next candidate announced was charity worker and former registered nurse, Christina Jordan. Ms Jordan said, “The majority of Parliament were elected on manifestos pledging to honour the [Brexit] referendum result but Remain-supporting MPs have done everything they can to block Brexit.” She said of the new Brexit Party that “it wants to seek Brexit in spirit and in practice”.
The final candidate announced was Lance Forman, who runs a small family business called H.Forman and Son which produces seafood. He described his journey to the Brexit Party as coming when Theresa May invited Jeremy Corbyn for talks over Brexit, saying “my red line was crossed when the prime minister invited the Marxist leader of an institutionally anti-Semitic party into Downing Street… to plot the future of Brexit because she couldn’t figure it out herself.”
The candidates themselves, as well as Mr Farage, were keen to emphasise both the strongly varying backgrounds of all the candidates announced so far and also the lack of career politics involved, with most having never stood for political office before.
The announcements come after a previous slate of candidates was declared, including Annunziata Rees-Mogg, sister of Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg. Ms Rees-Mogg said of Theresa May and her Brexit deal, “I can’t sit by and let her do it. It is our fight and we must fight to win.”
The EU elections are due to take place on May 23rd and the Brexit Party are currently polling as highly as first place, with the latest YouGov poll showing them on 23 per cent with Labour just behind on 22 per cent.