The country’s problems are not caused by people crossing the Channel, the Green Party’s Bedford & Kempston general election candidate has said.
Reform UK has claimed this is the “Immigration Election”, but Ben Foley says this is to “kick up a fuss” to distract people from the real causes and problems.
“Which are the systematic choices to promote inequality,” he said. “And the Greens would reverse those policies.
“We would, for example, introduce a tax on the assets of the super wealthy and multimillionaires with more than £10 million worth of assets.
“A one per cent tax on those assets, and a two per cent tax on the assets of billionaires. There are a lot of people that are ridiculously wealthy and getting more wealthy faster and faster, while the bulk of the population struggles.
“What the Greens are proposing would stop feeling the need to scapegoat someone else, in the way that they are being pushed by other political parties and some of the right wing media,” he said.
Ben Foley added that “it is very clear” that the world is heading to a climate and ecological crisis.
“The only scientific voices in dissent are contrarians who know that they can make a career out of being the one person that says the opposite to the absolute scientific consensus,” he said.
“It’s really important that we take the opportunities that are afforded by the transformation which all societies are going to have to make anyway. Get in there earlier and faster to promote the green industries, which are going to be needed in the future.
“If we can do that then there’s every chance of this country being really, really prosperous and doing well out of the switch to a greener future.
“If on the other hand, we dragged our heels like Labour, Conservatives, and especially Reform want to do, then we will end up being worse off compared to many of the other countries around the world.
“Is time to grasp the opportunity,” he said.
The other candidates standing in Bedford are:
- Prince Sadiq Chaudhury – Workers Party
- Pinder Chauhan – Conservative Lib Dem Henry Vann
- Tarek Javed – Independent
- Matt Lansley – Reform UK
- Henry Vann – Lib Dem
- Mohammad Yasin – Labour
The election will be held on 4 July.
By John Guinn
Local Democracy Reporter
