Nigel Farage 'going in hard' to take Labour votes in Ashfield and Eastwood

Campaigning in Eastwood with Brexit Party candidate Martin Daubney, the Brexit figurehead has said voters need to "make a choice" about who they want to "beat Labour", after the area's former MP Gloria De Piero stepped down from her role.

He says the party has "turned their backs" on the area and claims it is "disconnected" from the communities, and believes people will "come out in their droves" for the Brexit Party like in May's European election.

Speaking at the Dog and Parrot pub in Eastwood, he said: "Labour have completely turned their backs on areas like this. It is a London Labour party, it's utterly disconnected and we're going out their for their vote, and going hard.

"On the Conservative side, we've been incredibly unhappy with three-and-a-half years of broken promises from them.

"We're incredibly unhappy with Boris reheating Theresa May's deal, but he did signal a massive change of direction on Sunday by saying he would go for a Canada-style free-trade deal.

"By removing the candidates across the country we have accepted that Boris is going to win the election, because Labour are stuffed.

"The question is, can we get in our key areas, Brexit Party MPs into our key areas to hold him to his promise?

"People have got to make a choice. There are a lot of people here who just won't vote Conservative for historical family reasons. When we stood here in May people came out in their droves for us.

"So we're saying to people 'look, this election is a constituency by constituency, and all you can do is vote for the person who is best-placed to beat Labour. And we think that is us."

Speaking at the event, Ashfield and Eastwood's Brexit Party candidate Mr Daubney said he thinks his party can win after seeing votes "haemorrhage" from Labour and the Tories.

The former editor of Loaded magazine, whose mother lives in Ashfield, said: "What I've seen is people like my parents abandoning Labour to move over to UKIP and now the Brexit Party.

"I've had my finger on the pulse of the working class vote haemorrhaging away from Labour and the Conservatives, especially the Tories because they shut the pits.

"There are so many people around here that will not vote blue, because they or their dads were down the pits.

"I think when it comes down to Brexit credentials I am the only candidate for Ashfield.

"We need someone who is going to stick up for the 70 per cent who voted to leave, and who has been a leaver from before the Brexit movement even started."

Mr Daubney will stand in the December 12 election against Councillor Lee Anderson, of the Conservatives, Coun Jason Zadrozny, of the Ashfield Independents, Natalie Fleet, of Labour, Becky Wain of the Liberal Democrats and Rose Woods of the Green Party.