Brexit Party selects Horsham election candidate

The constituency is held by the Conservatives and is currently represented in Parliament by Jeremy Quin. In the last month The Brexit Party, led by Nigel Farage, has been selecting prospective parliamentary candidates across the country in anticipation of the next general election, which has to be held by 2022. Richard Rap, a retired chartered water and environmental manager, has been chosen to stand in Horsham for the fledging political party. He said: “Along with millions of others, I have become increasingly disillusioned and angry with the out of touch political elite in Westminster, who ignore the majority of people in this country and act in an undemocratic manner, so I decided to take action to instigate change. “I feel passionately compelled to stand as a Member of Parliament to hold this political establishment to account and change politics for good. I fully support the Brexit Party’s policy of cancelling business rates to the hard-pressed local businesses and shops on the high street. “I believe that a clean break Brexit is a massive opportunity to truly make this country great again. “It would be a privilege to represent the Horsham constituency and if elected as a Member of Parliament I will work tirelessly locally and in Westminster to serve the interests of the local community.” Mr Rap was born in Scaynes Hill and has lived in Sussex his entire life and is currently based in nearby Haywards Heath. He left school at 16 to start work and became professionally qualified by studying in the evenings and at weekends. During his 42-year career he worked for a number of water companies to ensure that the level of service to costumers in parts of Sussex, Surrey and Kent was maintained during droughts, floods and major plant failures. He was involved in the installation and commissioning of electrical equipment during the construction of the Ardingly Reservoir in the 1970s. He has been a supporter of Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club since 1975 and has participated in a number of charity events over the years including London to Brighton bike rides for the British Heart Foundation and 13-mile hikes around Ardingly and Balcombe for St Catherine’s Hospice. Richard Tice, Brexit Party chairman, said: “The Brexit Party stands ready to fight a general election with a full slate of candidates in all the UK’s 650 constituencies. We will take on the major parties, which have failed the British people time and time again. The vast majority of our candidates are entering politics for the first time and they come from all walks of life, backgrounds, races and religions. “Their greatest strength is that they are not professional politicians, but are competent individuals, connected to their local areas and issues they seek to represent.”