BREXIT Party leader Nigel Farage has told Barnsley activists they have the capacity to win two Parliamentary seats in the town in Thursday’s general election as they step up canvassing duties with a commitment to ‘out work’ opposing candidates.
Mr Farage’s decision to return to Highstone Road WMC in Worsbrough Common yesterday - his second visit in a fortnight - was decided by seeing the professionalism of campaigners fighting for the party to win the Barnsley Central and Barnsley East constituencies, he said.
Much of his time has been spent in the north where high numbers voted for Brexit in the 2016 referendum, he said, adding: “I am particularly impressed by the level of organisation we have got here.
“All the indications are that we have a very, very, serious chance.
“I personally think we can do it,” he said.
He blamed a drift away from traditional values in the Labour Party for a creeping loss of support in traditional stronghold communities like Barnsley, criticising Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn as having political values which were ‘a lurch’ away from those of predecessors from Clement Atlee through to Tony Blair.
Communities like Barnsley were very patriotic, he said, where voters could not accept Mr Corbyn’s relationship with organisations like the IRA and Hamas.
Voters in Barnsley who were turning to Brexit were people ‘with perfectly reasonable views, who feel they are being talked down to’, he said.
Labour had been experiencing a creeping loss of support in recent elections, he said, in traditional strongholds like Barnsley as the party had won a new metropolitan following in London.
But such factors had been ‘blown apart by Brexit’, he said, with Labour’s problems compounded by offering a new referendum should they take power.
“If Labour win, you will have a second referendum and the choice will be remain, or a form of remain.
“It is an insult and it has created a fault line,” he said.
Brexit’s Barnsley Central candidate is Victoria Felton, who is also a councillor representing the Monk Bretton ward in Barnsley as an independent. The constituency has been held by Labour’s Dan Jarvis, who is also South Yorkshire’s metro-mayor.
The Barnsley East Brexit candidate is Jim Ferguson, who originates from Scotland. Stephanie Peacock held the seat for Labour until the general election was called.
Provided by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
