FOR a short time, Neil Greaves was the Brexit Party candidate for the General Election of 2019.

When we heard that Nigel Farage was setting up a new party (again), we thought we would call on Neil to see what he thought.

Here are Neil’s thoughts

Grand Old Duke of Politics sets up Reform UK

AS the Brexit Party’s Parliamentary Candidate for Harlow, I supported Nigel Farage’s Euro-Sceptic views and his mission for a Clean Break Brexit.

He has now rebranded the Brexit Party as the anti-lockdown Reform UK party.

A party that believes the governments handling of the Covid crisis is woefully inept. I agree, but not for the same reasons.

We had several weeks’ notice of this pandemic as it spread from China across Europe and yet we were totally unprepared.

Why didn’t we close our borders? Why did we have a shortage of PPE? Why didn’t we give elderly patients a Covid test before returning them to their nursing homes?

Why is Track and Trace such a disaster? Why were we 2 to 3 weeks late implementing the first lockdown and several weeks late implementing the second?

On the 21st September SAGE advised the government to implement a two-week “circuit breaker” lockdown, they did not implement it.

So much for the slogan “following the science”. A bit like their “oven ready” Brexit deal which is still defrosting.

Why did Dominic Cummings not get a fine for breaking the Covid regulations? The list of poor decisions goes on and on.

Everyone is frustrated and deeply worried about the implications of another lockdown. From unemployment to people’s health. The only way to check the exponential growth of this virus is to have a lockdown. To oppose this is lunacy.

We must trust the science, have a lockdown, get the virus under control, and then make a better fist of it second time around.

Moving forward we need a sustainable policy that allows the bulk of our economy the function as normal. No more lurching from lockdown to Eat Out to Help Out.

Measures such as closing all our borders, getting a Track and Trace system that actually works, working from home where possible, universities having online degrees and unfortunately closing the hospitality industry.

This will reduce the risk of transmission and keep the virus under control.

The government will have to support the effected industries. Farage and the Labour Party should be bringing the government to account on all these issues.
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Instead Farage has turned the Brexit Party into the anti-lockdown Reform UK party. This is not the answer and is not a political party.

It is a one policy pressure movement. No different to the Brexit party then I hear you say. Unfortunately, I agree with you.

The Brexit Party had plans for a wide-ranging fiscal package to compliment the Clean Break Brexit, but it never materialised.

Instead, the Grand Old Duke of Politics marched all his candidates up the hill and threw 317 candidates down again.

By standing down 317 candidates he endorsed the Tory Brexit policy. When the going got tough, he caved, he did not have the courage of his convictions.

In my opinion he has lost the trust of the electorate and any party that is led by him is going to struggle.

This is one party too far for Farage and as a result I will not be involved in his new venture.

I do believe however that the political centre ground has never been more open for a new political party to enter.