Nigel Farage issues statement setting out his view of Island issues

Ahead of his appearance tonight at GG’s Riding Centre near Newport, Nigel Farage has issued a statement setting out his view of the issues on the Island.

By Nigel Farage

Britain is broken.

As someone who loves their country, that is not something I say lightly.

But it is undoubtedly true.

Of all the complaints I’ve heard travelling from town to town over the past 18 months, there is one phrase I hear over and over: Nothing seems to work anymore.

Nowhere is that sentiment felt more strongly than at local council level.

Just look around you: Bins are overflowing, schools are struggling and our roads are pockmarked with potholes.

Meanwhile, our neighbourhoods are over-run with crime.

Yet despite all this, council tax bills continue to go up.

On the Isle of Wight, council tax has increased by over 20 per cent in the past five years.

It’s not hard to see why.

The Isle of Wight’s CEO earns nearly £148,000 a year – not much less than the Prime Minister – to oversee this mess. That’s along with another two members of staff on salaries of over £100,000.

The Isle of Wight has run up £165 million worth of debt. That’s costing over £6 million a year just in interest – the equivalent of £16,000 a day.

But then are you that surprised when the council is spending £22,000 just on translators and somehow spent over £500,000 to house a vulnerable 10-year-old boy in an illegal children’s home for four months?

If that wasn’t bad enough, it managed to waste £60,000 on unnecessary consultants to advise on the future of the floating bridge.

And just look at the state of the roads. By our calculations, there are roughly 19 potholes for every mile of road around Isle of Wight.

Violent crime is everywhere – there were over 5,000 incidents on the Isle of Wight over the past year.

It really doesn’t have to be this way.

Last year, Reform UK won hundreds of council seats and already we’re seeing the positive impact the party is having in those areas.

Which is why I am embarking on a national tour to let voters know how you can fix this country.

Because we can’t do this without you. We urgently need your help.

And now is your chance.

Let’s send Starmer and the rest of the Westminster establishment a clear message.

The turquoise tsunami is coming.