REFORM UK has announced their parliamentary candidate for the Taunton and Wellington constituency.

Charles Hansard, a Wellington man for more than two decades, will be competing to be the area’s next MP in the July general election.

Mr Hansard is a veteran of the Army with 12 years’ service, who went on to set up a small business which supplies filtration systems to ships.

Mr Hansard previously stood as a Conservative candidate in Bristol in 2001 but has now turned his back on the party to try and win the seat for Reform. He said he made the decision last year, after he was “disgusted” by the party’s move away from what he sees as conservative values.

He said: “I left the Conservatives in disgust in 2023 as the party moved away from true conservative values. Frankly, there is barely any difference between the three main parties now. Reform UK became my natural home.”

Ahead of the polls Mr Hansard set out his priorities, which included cutting migration and improving access to dental services. He said: “Stopping illegal immigration and setting legal immigration to net zero will allow only those people into our country who add real value. For too long mass immigration has driven wages down, reduced growth and increased reliance on benefits. 

“We will cancel the drive to net-zero carbon, and issue new licences for fracking and the extraction of North Sea oil and gas.

“Whether potholes, dental services, school funding or any other concern, I will represent my Constituents by always putting them first.”