Laurence Fox launching new party to take on BBC – ‘It’s UKIP for culture’
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The actor has so far raised £1 million for the funding of the party, including donations from former Tory contributors, according to The Telegraph. Mr Fox said aims to represent citizens who are “tired of being told that we represent the very thing we have, in history, stood together against”.
He is looking to introduce candidates at the next general election.
The new party has been called “Reclaim” for the time being and could start operating as soon as next month.
But the name “Reclaim” will have to be ratified by the Electoral Commission beforehand.
In a statement to The Telegraph, Fox said: “Over many years it has become clear that our politicians have lost touch with the people they represent and govern.
“Moreover, our public institutions now work to an agenda beyond their main purpose.
“Our modern United Kingdom was borne out of the respectful inclusion of so many individual voices.
“It is steeped in the innate values of families and communities, diverse in the truest sense but united in the want and need to call this island home.
“The people of the United Kingdom are tired of being told that we represent the very thing we have, in history, stood together against.
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One Westminster source likened Mr Fox’s proposed party to the UK Independence Party.
The insider said: “This is basically a Ukip for culture and is exactly what the Tory party should be frightened about.”
Sources close to Reclaim explained that the party did not take a left or right stance but rather “is a broad church, acknowledging left and right are dying distinctions”.
The new party has three main aims which have been revealed by the Telegraph.
The first goal is “to promote an open space through full protection of the fundamental freedoms of speech, expression, thought, association and academic inquiry.
“To stand in full opposition to laws and other measures which undermine those freedoms”.
The second objective is “to reform publicly-funded, controlled and operated institutions to ensure that they deliver on their primary purpose, free from political bias or agendas beyond their scope.
“This program of reform will cover, although not be exclusive to, our system of democracy, education, law enforcement, the civil service, public media, charitable organisations and other non-governmental organisations in receipt of public funds.”
The third aim is “to preserve and celebrate our shared national history, cultural inheritance and global contribution”.