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| Alex Culley Reform UK Candidate at 2024 General Election for Southampton Itchen Photo: Alex Culley |
As already reported in our exclusive story on some of his comments, Alex Culley is the Reform UK 2024 General Election Candidate for the Southampton Test Constituency. We will also be publishing an exclusive interview with Mr Culley soon.
Here are Mr Culley's responses to the six questions that we have asked of all candidates. They are provided in full. We are very grateful to him for providing them at this busy time for candidates and for the Reform UK party.
We understand from Mr Culley that Nigel Farage, the Leader of Reform UK, will be announcing on Monday 17th June 2024 in an event in Wales, the final version of the Reform UK "Contract" which is what other parties call a "Manifesto". The draft version is in the link below.
1. Why are you standing in this General Election?
"In a recent TV interview Professor Matthew Goodwin said that many Britons feel like their country is facing a “civilisational moment”. I share this sentiment. To me, it seems like the UK is in a permanent state of managed decline.
Figuring that things aren’t going to change by shouting at the TV, I decided to get off the sofa and put myself in the line of fire. "
2. Why are you standing for Reform UK?
"Reform is what this country desperately needs on so many levels. I started reading through Reform UK’s Contract. I felt that the programme offers hope for real change.
Ultimately, if you’re sick of the stranglehold the tired CONLAB duopoly has had on our politics, don’t vote for it. Choose Reform."
3. What will you do in the first 100 days if elected?
"I would:
• identify, and seek to build relationships with, key stakeholders in the community, for example through introductory meetings or calls;
• recognise things on the home and business front to smooth the transition to public life;
• try and manage expectations through consistent communication. It is going to take time to achieve significant and lasting reforms in most spheres; and
• observe and learn. An MP’s remit demands knowledge of Parliamentary processes / workings of “the system”, not to mention a solid grasp of a wide range of issues beyond one’s subject matter expertise. For these reasons a newbie is going to have to watch, listen and learn (with a critical eye / ear of course) to become effective."
4. What do you think are the best top 5 policies of your party?
" i. Reducing immigration: Britian’s immigration system is broken. The Office for National Statistics (“ONS”) reported that net migration stood at 685,000 in 2023. If our population continues to grow by 600,000 per year, then we’d have a population of 80 million people by 2046 (Migration Watch). That’s equivalent to 15 more cities the size of Birmingham. Needless to say, this is completely unsustainable. Wages are already depressed, NHS waiting lists seem to get longer every year and the demand for housing is far outstripping supply. This is to say nothing about the profound cultural changes that could pose a risk to social cohesion.
Our desire to reduce immigration isn’t personal. We know that many people who come here just want to get on. I personally take a great interest in other cultures. There is much we can learn from them. Nevertheless, the electorate has repeatedly instructed Westminster to reduce immigration to manageable levels. The failure to do so is seriously damaging trust in our democracy. We need to address this as a matter of urgency.
ii. Electoral reform: we need to break the two party cartel. Let people vote for what they want, rather than against what they least want.
iii. Reforming the planning system: the housing crisis is crippling our country. It pits generations against each other, is significant cause of homelessness and rocketing rents. We would seek to overhaul the planning system in an effort to help people get on in life.
iv. Our plans to help small and medium sized businesses: being a small business owner myself, I know how challenging it can be to get up and running.
IR35 rules are complex even for lawyers to understand, let alone entrepreneurs who want to concentrate on building their businesses. We would abolish them.
Current corporation tax rates are oppressive. They prevent business owners from building up the capital required for growth. We would lift the maximum profit threshold to £100k and gradually seek to reduce it to 15% from year five. Similarly, we would lift the VAT threshold to £120k to cut red tape.
v. Scrapping net zero: In August 2023 1609 scientists and professionals (including two Nobel Laureates) signed a declaration entitled “There is no climate emergency”, calling for: (i) climate science to be less politicised; and (ii) more extensive cost benefit analysis prior to implementing restrictive measures. It is time politicians were honest about the costs initiatives like Net Zero are imposing on people’s lives. This includes tax rises, inflation in goods and services to cover the costs of adjustment and potential limitations on movement. For example, according to the Office for National Statistics, the cost of electricity increased by 425% between 2000-23. Whilst the reasons for this increase are likely to be multifaceted, Net Zero style adjustments are likely to be a significant contributory factor. Reform UK would scrap Net Zero, generating savings of £20bn per year for the next 25 years. We would also ditch renewable energy subsidies. Both would help ease the cost of living crisis."
5. What do you think are the top 5 issues that Southampton people want addressed, and what do you intend to do about them?
" i. Preventing the financial collapse of Southampton City Council: this would necessitate further Council Tax rises and cuts to public services. My background is in financial services, particularly in ensuring sound governance and risk management. Accordingly, if elected as an MP, I would be well positioned to offer constructive challenge to the council’s management of the city’s finances.
ii. Improving access to GP, dental and related services: this is a problem across the UK. At Reform UK we would like to slash waste, ensure as much funding is allocated to frontline provision as possible, and examine ways to increase capacity by working with private providers. I would support an investigation into how other countries deliver health services to gain inspiration for improving ours. If structural problems continue to go unaddressed then no amount of additional funding is going to improve services. Taxpayers will continue to pay more to receive less.
iii. Improving the River Itchen’s water quality: I am loathed to let my sons play by the shore these days. I would advocate for Southern Water to invest in modernising the local sewage system.
iv. Improving the local public transport network: Southampton Central needs a makeover. The station has hardly changed during my lifetime, despite the additional demands that have been placed on the rail network. Additionally, train services between Portsmouth Harbour and Cardiff are often overcrowded. Much of the rolling stock is outdated and trains are too short for a route that takes in so many major cities (Portsmouth, Southampton, Salisbury, Bath, Bristol and Cardiff). Much has been made about the inadequacy of the train network up north, but we are also overlooked. As a regular user of public transport, I would make a lot of noise to ensure Southampton’s transport infrastructure receives the attention it deserves.
v. Outlining a bold vision for the city’s waterfront to generate growth: being one of the cruise capitals of the world, Southampton’s waterfront offers huge potential for entrepreneurs and workers alike. I would act as an ambassador for regeneration in an effort to maximise the waterfront’s potential."
6. What track record do you have of winning campaigns?
"Although I have substantial experience of campaigning, I have not personally won any elections. Reform UK is still a relatively new movement. In 2021 it lacked brand recognition when I first stood for the party in local elections. However, thanks to the herculean efforts of my colleagues this is no longer the case. Furthermore, I am not a career politician. I divide my finite time between running my business, spending time with my family, and campaigning."
Why Southampton Independents Is Covering the 2024 General Election
Southampton Independents recommends no particular candidate in the 2024 General Election. We publish this information and the information about the other candidates to help inform Southampton residents for their vote, or for them to choose not to vote or to positively spoil their ballot by writing "none of the above". It's your choice.
The other candidates for Southampton Itchen, with their answers to our questions, are here.
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