Banbury candidate interviews: Paul Topley – Reform UK

24/06/2024

“you cannot integrate people into your society, into your culture, when they’re coming in these sheer numbers”

The man who is hoping to secure votes for Reform UK in the Banbury constituency at the General Election says he’s found a party who’s policies he really believes in.

Paul Topley joined Reform because he was fed up with existing parties. “I read the manifesto at the time, I read the policies and I couldn’t fault them. They’re in tune with everything I believe in,” said Paul.

He spent most of his life in the fire protection industry, selling his business in 1992. Although he lives in the Winchester constituency in Hampshire, Paul believes it is similar to Banbury and defends his decision to stand here.

“My constituency was already allocated to a very able candidate,” said Paul. “They said ‘would you consider standing for Banbury?’ Personally I think it would be better if a local candidate stood, but as they explained to me, they didn’t have one. If I didn’t stand the people in Banbury who wanted to vote Reform would not have been able to do so.”

He added: “This election above all others is really being fought on major, major national issues which affect all of us, no matter where we live.”

Immigration is a key issue for Reform UK. “It’s completely out of control,” said Paul. “So many immigrants have contributed very positively to our society: our National Health Service without doctors from India and nurses from the Philippines would really struggle.

“But we’ve got open borders. We’ve got people who are forcing their way in without any form of checks.

“We’re a small island and you cannot integrate people into your society, into your culture, when they’re coming in these sheer numbers.”

For many businesses which rely on people coming to work here from abroad Paul believes we can fill those roles. He said: “We have over 8 million economically inactive people. Getting people off benefits and back into the workplace is an obvious solution to some of our problems.”

With the NHS Paul believes a radical look is needed at what we expect it to do. “Midwifery? Of course. A&E? Of course. Cancer? Of course,” he said. “But is it trying to be all things to all people? Can we afford for it to do that, we have to look at our priorities and draw a line somewhere where the essential services are provided in a meaningful and excellent way. At the moment, things are just breaking.”

He welcomes the involvement of the private sector in the NHS but pointed out that Reform UK believes in “free at the point for delivery”. Paul said: “I’m lucky enough to be able to afford to go privately and it’s an incredibly efficient system… Why not allow them to be involved in delivery providing it’s competitive.”

In discussing the environment Paul says he’s not a “climate change denier” but feels some of the current targets go beyond what the country can afford. “Net zero is an admirable target to aspire to, but we can’t achieve it by next Tuesday.”

In terms of protecting the planet Paul worries about plastics in the ocean and believes there should be tough punishments for water companies pumping sewage into our river.

“I can’t believe there aren’t custodial sentences for the senior executives involved in this,” he said. “We’ve got a Victorian infrastructure – it’s creaking at the seams – and we’ve got companies that are hugely indebted and all that money’s gone in dividends. Thames Water is facing bankruptcy. I would let them go insolvent and take it back into public ownership.”

You can listen to the whole interview here: