General Election 2024: Interview with Chris Thornhill, Reform, who says it is time for change in North East Cambridgeshire
In the lead-up to the General Election on July 4 the Citizen will be running a series of interviews with the seven candidates hoping to be the next MP for North East Cambridgeshire.
Each of the seven: Steve Barclay (Conservative), David Chalmers (Lib Dem), Andrew Crawford (Green), Javeria Hussain (Labour), David Patrick (Independent), Clayton Payne (Workers Party of Britain), and Chris Thornhill (Reform), will be asked a series of the same questions to give voters more of an understanding of themselves and their views.
Here Chris Thornhill, Reform’s hope for our area outlines what has motivated him to stand for election, and what he hopes to achieve should he win the seat next month.
He lives in Somersham and has done for the past eight years. He is originally from Blackpool but moved to this area after he met his wife on a trekking holiday in Nepal about 11 years ago.
It has been a few weeks since the election was called how is your campaign going?
“I am just an ordinary guy, I work full-time so it has been hard work campaigning, but I have been running stalls and getting out there and meeting people.
“The reaction has been very positive, a lot of people have said they have already voted for me through the postal voting and so on the whole it has been encouraging. We have made great strides since Nigel Farage became leader of the party, and put Reform on the map.
“I think what people like about him is he tries to see things from both sides of the argument, he does his homework and that helps him to come across well.”
Why are you running for MP?
“I think like a lot of people I was so frustrated with the current group of politicians who keep giving us platitudes and promising they are going to do something, but that never actually translates into action.
“So I have stuck my head above the parapet to see if I can make a change. I have been following Nigel Farage for a long time and I did vote for Brexit.
“I have changed my views a number of times over the years, I even voted for Tony Blair in the 1990s, and I have voted Conservative, but like a lot of people I no longer feel anybody truly represents me and what I believe in. I want to represent the ordinary people like myself, who go out to work every day.”
What will you do for North East Cambridgeshire if elected?
“There are so many things that need to change, I don’t quite know where to start. But stopping the incinerator in Wisbech is one of the most poignant and essential things that need to happen for this area.
“A lot of people are opposed to it, but they have not been listened to. How that got planning permission I don’t know.
“I want to do more to support farmers. I have been speaking to them about issues they are concerned about. They are fed up with hare coursers invading their land, they are fed-up with equipment being stolen, they don’t get a fair price for their produce from supermarkets and there are a lot of other issues too. We need farmers, they produce our food.
“I want to support veterans and look at providing proper housing. The roads need a lot of work rather than just being patched up all the time and I want to see Wisbech rail happen.”
Is it a time for change?
“Absolutely, there’s so much waste in this country. I think what Reform is trying to do is to start thinking about the wider picture. The NHS is not working, but there is so much waste and that is true with so many of our services. There are too many chiefs doing little more than tick box exercises.
“There are so many career politicians who rather than thinking what will benefit the people they serve are thinking more about their own careers.”
What would your key priorities be?
“As I have already said there are so many things that need to be addressed in North East Cambridgeshire, the incinerator, Wisbech Rail, farming, proper housing, and addressing homelessness, looking after our veterans and I would also like to look at planning laws.
“There are so many developments going ahead without providing the necessary infra-structure. We need to look at how we can improve Section 106 agreements to ensure developers pay for schools, road, and health services needed by the developments they are building, we also need to look at the quality of developments too.”
What are your hopes/expectations for July 4?
“Of course, I would like to win, beating Steve Barclay would be a great scalp for the party. Reform would like to put Fenland on the map and make sure it gets the support it needs as one of the most deprived areas in the country.
“But if I can’t win then I would like to retain my deposit, that would be a good starting point for the party to build on.”
What is your final message for voters?
“The current group of politicians aren’t listening to you, it is time to get rid of them and allow a new band of people like me to take over. Ordinary people just using common sense to build this country back up and that can’t happen with no change and we need it now otherwise we are going to sink even further than the mess we are already in.”
In South West Norfolk there are nine candidates vying for the seat: Terry Jermy (Labour), Pallavi Devulapalli (Green Party), Earl Elvis Of Outwell (Official Monster Raving Loony Party), Josie Ratcliffe (Liberal Democrat), Liz Truss (Conservative), James Bagge (Independant), Lorraine Douglas (Communist), Gary Conway (Heritage) a nd Tobias McKenzie (Reform).
There are six candidates looking to win the South Holland and The Deepings seat, which covers Long Sutton and Sutton Bridge areas: Sir John Hayes (Conservative), Paul Hilliar (Labour), Jack Braginton (Liberal Democrats), Rhys Baker (Green), Mark Le Sage (Independent), and Matt Swainson (Reform).>f 1428
