By Carole Dennett
Reform UK’s deputy leader, Richard Tice, has hit out at cross-Solent ferry operators, calling their private-equity ownership model a failed “effective monopoly” that leaves Islanders paying the price.
Speaking during a visit to Ryde, the Reform business spokesman argued that repeated corporate buyouts incentivise owners to load cross-Solent operators with debt, driving under-investment and steep price rises. Comparing the ferry operators to the failing water sector, Mr Tice advocated a shift toward joint-venture ownership.
He proposed: “Short-term regulation followed by partial long-term private ownership, partial public ownership with good private sector management, so that you can get the best of both worlds.”
His comments came on a weekend when Wightlink cancelled more than 30 sailings due to mechanical issues, a disruption he stressed harms local trade. Pointing out that service breakdowns have “a massive knock-on for economies like Ryde town centre,” he criticised poor contingency planning that leaves local businesses exposed.
Reform Cllrs James Whelan, Reuben Loake, and David Llewellyn joined him on a walk from the Veteran’s Lounge in Ryde High Street to the Veteran Hotel on the Esplanade. Mr Tice met residents, visitors, and shop owners, who raised issues including business rates, VAT, parking, and a lack of government support for small businesses. He was frequently recognised and greeted positively, although one lady confidently identified him as East Wight MP, Joe Robertson.
Turning to wider business pressures, Mr Tice labelled town-centre decline “a national emergency” caused by decades of flawed planning. While praising Ryde’s concentration of independent shops as “amongst the best I’ve seen in the country,” he acknowledged other Island towns are struggling. He noted Reform’s pledge to help high streets, including raising the VAT registration threshold from £90,000 to £150,000, and said there would be further announcements at Reform’s annual conference next week on business rates, planning reform, and social housing.
Mr Tice also took aim at water providers, singling out Southern Water as “one of the worst two or three” operators nationally. He said he has worked cross-party with MPs, including “from the left of the left of the Labour Party” to tackle water utility issues, though he has not yet worked directly with the Island’s two sitting MPs.
On asylum policy, Mr Tice reiterated Reform’s stance that people arriving illegally should be “maintained, supported, and processed rapidly, then deported,” rather than dispersed nationally, pledging Reform councillors would work to prevent them being housed on the Island. He joked that Green Party support for a policy that asylum seekers could all go to areas with Green councillors was non-existent – “they didn’t seem to like it”.
Mr Tice also addressed queries about former Reform MP, Rupert Lowe, now leader of Restore Britain, expressing confidence that “common sense will prevail” by the next general election.
Cllr Whelan, leader of the Reform group on the IW Council, welcomed the visit, saying that he and his group had very useful discussions with Mr Tice, who described himself as a “frequent visitor”, to the “very traditional, very English” Island, adding that he wanted to help retain that character and pledging to support the local group.
Cllr Whelan said: “A real highlight was meeting veterans and representatives from the armed forces community. As a veteran myself, supporting those who have served our country is something particularly important to me.
“We finished the visit with some really productive discussions about the Isle of Wight, the financial pressures facing our Council, and the work ahead to deliver the change residents voted for.”
On local political ambitions, Mr Tice was clear: “We’re ambitious — we want two MPs.” With Reform setting its sights so firmly on the local political map, perhaps Joe Robertson had better hope that more people mistake him for Reform’s deputy leader.
Mal Butler