I am standing as an Independent to be MP for Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket. The party is over for the Conservatives. A Labour government with a big majority will need to be held to account. Now is the time for moderate Independents.
ABOUT ME
Growing up in the 60s, with grandfather ‘WB’
I am not a career politician. That’s the important thing.
After stepping down from JLA, ‘the UK’s leading speaker bureau’ (FT), I now live in the heart of Bury – yards from where my grandfather once worked behind a grocery counter. Nothing makes me happier than setting up home where his journey started more than a century ago.
I founded JLA in 1990, providing new wave comedians for recession-weary audiences. We went on to uncover talent like Michael McIntyre, Jimmy Carr and Tim Minchin, and seized the chance to do the same with the world of public speaking. As well as bringing over statesmen from Gorbachev to Clinton we launched hundreds of experts…
PODCAST
Subscribe to our Suffolk-ish podcast
Guesty, Sunny, Shady, VIP, Scoopy, Bitchy, Hotchpotchy, Sane, Silly, Stretchy, Squeezy and Deadly Serious – and not entirely about Suffolk.
WARNING: Not suitable for Bigots, Robots, Woke Warriors, Rabbit Hole Dwellers and Poppycock Merchants.
Register here to get the latest on the launch date.
THE BIG ISSUES
When the Tories and Labour admit that the economy is up the creek thanks to a hard Brexit, as well as pandemic and Putin, we might begin to limit the damage.
There were reasons why so many voted Leave. Austerity put paid to spending on infrastructure, communities were left behind, Boris Johnson did his spiel, Labour was absent and the papers blamed every ill on Brussels. Eight years later the dying embers of the Conservative party, of which I was once a member, still trade on these divisions in a shameless attempt to cling onto power.
Sunak has the bare-faced cheek to describe his Northern Ireland deal as “the best of both worlds," but he won’t contemplate closer ties to the world’s biggest trading bloc for rest of the UK. Starmer is too scared to utter the ‘B’ word for fear of causing upset. Yet the Office for Budget Responsibility say we will be 4% worse off outside the EU – equivalent to tens of billions on health, education, pensions, policing and the environment.
Post-Brexit Britain
We can’t turn the clock back to some imagined golden age but we can renew our vows to each other and rebuild the country for future generations. Experience tells us that the answer doesn’t lie in right or left wing ideology. It’s about competence, fairness, forward thinking, security and solid foundations for a dynamic economy. And it’s about being honest.
What you see when you click the button below is not a manifesto, it’s a range of ideas. As an Independent I can’t promise any of them will be adopted. I can only promise to listen to and speak up for you, to do everything possible to bring opposing sides together, and to support common sense solutions whoever proposes them.
The infamous bus
What law would you bring in if you were Prime Minister? Tell us what you think about one of the ideas below – or come up with your own suggestion.
TAX THE TECH GIANTS?
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BAN ANONYMITY ON SOCIAL MEDIA?
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REDUCE THE VOTING AGE TO 16?
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NATIONALISE WATER COMPANIES?
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LESSONS IN COOKING, RESEARCH & MANAGING MONEY?
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RE-OPEN NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICE STATIONS?
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ENSURE EVERYONE HAS ACCESS TO NHS DENTISTS?
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INCREASE COUNCIL BUDGETS FOR SOCIAL CARE?
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EXPECT ASYLUM SEEKERS TO WORK?
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BAN UNNECESSARY PLASTIC PACKAGING?
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TOUGHEN RULES FOR HOUSEBUILDERS?
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FORCE NEWSPAPERS TO PRINT FRONT-PAGE CORRECTIONS?
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PRISONS: EDUCATE THE ILLITERATE, CURE THE ILL AND PUNISH THE BAD?
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REDUCE CAR INSURANCE BY EXCLUDING 'WHIPLASH'?
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DECRIMINALISE CANNABIS?
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LIMIT POLITICIANS' SECOND JOBS?
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BAN ROADWORKS WITH NO WORK BEING DONE?
TAX THE TECH GIANTS? 〰️ BAN ANONYMITY ON SOCIAL MEDIA? 〰️ REDUCE THE VOTING AGE TO 16? 〰️ NATIONALISE WATER COMPANIES? 〰️ LESSONS IN COOKING, RESEARCH & MANAGING MONEY? 〰️ RE-OPEN NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICE STATIONS? 〰️ ENSURE EVERYONE HAS ACCESS TO NHS DENTISTS? 〰️ INCREASE COUNCIL BUDGETS FOR SOCIAL CARE? 〰️ EXPECT ASYLUM SEEKERS TO WORK? 〰️ BAN UNNECESSARY PLASTIC PACKAGING? 〰️ TOUGHEN RULES FOR HOUSEBUILDERS? 〰️ FORCE NEWSPAPERS TO PRINT FRONT-PAGE CORRECTIONS? 〰️ PRISONS: EDUCATE THE ILLITERATE, CURE THE ILL AND PUNISH THE BAD? 〰️ REDUCE CAR INSURANCE BY EXCLUDING 'WHIPLASH'? 〰️ DECRIMINALISE CANNABIS? 〰️ LIMIT POLITICIANS' SECOND JOBS? 〰️ BAN ROADWORKS WITH NO WORK BEING DONE?
LET’S TALK EVENTS
I will be visiting venues from Bury to Stowmarket and the villages north and south, to meet and listen to you. We’ll discuss the big issues, hear from an unrivalled group of experts and have a full and frank Q&A!
As each date is confirmed it will be added it to this page.
Register at JOIN US to receive updates.
JOIN US
If you have a little time to spare, fill out the form below and be part of a groundbreaking campaign…
Yes we have a mountain to climb. But with a brilliant team of volunteers, common sense solutions instead of left/right ideology, and freedom from party machines... we can win.
Let’s burst the Westminster bubble, raise some smiles and MAKE 4th July INDEPENDENTS’ DAY!
CONSTITUENCY MAP
BURY ST EDMUNDS & STOWMARKET
Constituency Information
Electorate: 75655
Wards
1 Chilton
2 Combs Ford
3 Elmswell & Woolpit
4 Onehouse
5 Rattlesden
6 St Peter's
7 Stow Thorney
8 Thurston
9 Abbeygate
10 Bardwell
11 Barningham
12 Eastgate
13 Ixworth
14 Minden
15 Pakenham & Troston
16 St Olaves
17 Southgate
18 Stanton
19 The Fornhams & Great Barton
20 Tollgate
21 Westgate
22 Moreton Hall
23 Rougham
Bury St Edmunds
Stowmarket