General

Question 1 – Why are you standing for Cardiff North?

As a father of two, I am very familiar with the issues confronting ordinary families. I’m a long standing Cardiff resident and I am very much on the side of local communities and hard-working people in Cardiff North.

Question 2 – What personal qualities do you have that would make you a good MP?

I’m a self employed businessman with a wealth of life experience and work hard to provide for my family. I would bring that same determination and commitment to the people of Cardiff North if elected as their MP.

Question 3 – When did you join your party and why?

I joined UKIP two years ago because the main two parties are forever arguing, don’t deliver, and cannot keep their promises. That is why I joined UKIP, because UKIP is the only Party that provides a real voice for change.

National Issues

Question 4 – What pledges in your manifesto would you change?

UKIP has put forward an excellent manifesto both nationally and here in Wales which I’m happy to support. UKIP is a democratic party and, like all parties, some people will disagree, but personally I’m happy with what we’re proposing. If anything, I’d like to see us go further on some of our stretching targets around things like delivering affordable homes.

Question 5 – Where do you stand on brexit and how do you think the process will affect Cardiff North?

Whatever happens on June 8th, Theresa May will be negotiating Brexit after the election. We need to ensure that she gets us the Brexit that the Leave voters wanted. This means tight controls for immigration, and a sovereign UK outside the jurisdiction of the European Courts. There’s a bright future for Cardiff North after Brexit and UKIP will hold the Government’s feet to the firer to ensure they deliver.

Question 6 – What national issues would you like to get involved in and why?

The NHS is important to all of us. We’d pay for more spending on the NHS by cutting the foreign aid budget. Under UKIP’s plan we’d still give 0.2% of GDP to foreign aid (about the same as Obama did in the USA) but scrap the unrealistic 0.7% target. We’d save another £2 billion per year by ensuring that everyone coming to the UK has medical insurance and ending health tourism.

Local Issues

Question 7 – What local issues will you prioritise?

One of the major issues affecting people in Cardiff North is the difficulty in commuting into Cardiff on a daily basis. Traffic gridlock, particularly on Manor Way and Caerphilly Road causes delays and frustration for workers and those on the school run. We need to tackle this, and also provide better public transport links, ensuring that Cardiff North gains the full benefit of the South Wales Metro.

Question 8 – For local issues that aren’t an MP’s direct responsibility, how will you make a difference?

MPs provide an important voice for local people and are able to influence decision makers at other levels of Government on a wide range of issues. Listening to the views of constituents is a crucial part of the role, as well as acting on their concerns.

Question 9 – What will you do to ensure you’re a visible MP?

I’ll ensure that I hold regular surgeries throughout the constituency, as well as keeping up an active social media presence and issuing a regular newsletter so people can keep up to date with my work.

Miscellaneous

Question 10 – What’s the most difficult question you’ve been asked during the campaign and how did you reply?

I was asked why people should trust politicians because, the questioner said, they always lie! Well, we want to change the democratic system so that you have the right to recall your MP if they’re doing a bad job and force another election. We’re the turkeys voting for Christmas (just like we were in the European Parliament when we supported Brexit). Why? Because we’re not in it for ourselves but for the good of the country.

Question 11 – What would you say to someone who isn’t planning on voting?

This is probably the most important election in a generation. We have to hold the Conservatives’ feet to the fire on Brexit and we can’t risk either a huge Tory majority or the shambles of a Labour Government. Whatever you do on June 8th, please set aside just a few minutes of your time to go and vote, and of course if you decide to vote for UKIP, you’ll be voting for real change.

Question 12 – What’s your favourite biscuit?

Chocolate Digestive

• Candidate Comments