Reform UK Deputy Leader Richard Tice has said he would oppose asylum seekers being housed on the Isle of Wight, calling the idea ‘ridiculous’ in an interview with Island Echo, in which he also took aim at the Island’s ferry services and Southern Water.
During a visit to the Isle of Wight on Saturday (22nd August), Mr Tice took a walk through Ryde town, starting at the Veterans Lounge before wandering down Union Street, stopping in multiple local businesses on the way.
The high profile politican was joined by Councillor James Whelan (Reform Group Leader of the Isle of Wight) and Councillor Reuben Loake (Ryde North West) in speaking to business owners about issues such as tourism, parking charges and business taxes. They visited Festival Diner Bar, W Hurst & Son, Robert Lee Barbers and Duxmore Botanics.
Members of the public recognised Mr Tice as he made his way through Ryde, with many asking for pictures and enjoying the opportunity to converse with him and show their support.
Richard’s tour of the town came to an end before we settled down in a quiet corner of The Veterans pub on the Esplanade.
Island Echo was keen to pick Richard’s brains about whether he would oppose asylum seekers being accommodated on the Island – a hot topic of conversation for Islanders.
He said:
“100%. It’s a ridiculous idea, and our policy is very clear that these people actually have broken into our country illegally, and they should be detained and deported, processed rapidly.
“And instead, this government seems to want to just sort of spread them around, and that’s completely wrong.
“It’s not what the Islanders want.
“It’s not what the rest of the British people want. So we’re very clear about that.”
Mr Tice said Reform councillors on the Isle of Wight would do everything they could to oppose such a move, adding:
“With our councillors here, they will do everything they possibly can to prevent it.
“And, you know, there’s something very special about the Island. Very traditional, very English, and we want to retain that and grow it.”
As previously reported by Island Echo, Reform Isle of Wight previously said ‘we would oppose it’ after Prime Minister Andy Burnham commented on GB News that all parts of the country should ‘play their part’ in the dispersal of refugees and asylum seekers.
Following this, a community petition was launched on the Island, demanding the Isle of Wight Council, Home Office and other relevant authorities ensure that no asylum accommodation is commissioned locally without public consultation and assessments of the potential impact on Island services.
Island Echo asked Mr Tice whether the council should have the powers to oppose asylum accommodation, referencing a policy position previously put forward by Reform.
He said:
“The council should have the power to oppose it.
“In fact, we came out with a policy a couple of months ago which upset the lefties enormously. We said vote Reform councils and we said we should have a policy that if you vote Green, then you want asylum seekers and they can all go to the Green councils.
“But they didn’t seem to like that.”
The interview also turned to a topical issue for Island residents at the minute, Southern Water and sewage discharges around the Isle of Wight.
The Reform Deputy Leader criticised the water industry and its regulation, singling out Southern Water alongside other companies in the South East.
He said:
“I’ve been very critical of the water companies. Again, the private equity model, not properly regulated by Ofwat, and Southern Water’s one of the worst 2 or 3 companies alongside Thames Water, Southeast Water.
“Funnily enough, it’s all the Southeast water companies, and, something significant has got to change, and we’re looking at that.”
Mr Tice said Reform had called for Thames Water to be taken into special administration before concluding that Southern Water’s performance was unacceptable.
He added:
“We’ve said Thames Water should be taken into special administration, and, you know, Southern Water is, it’s just unacceptable. It’s as simple as that.”
Moving on to another huge issue facing Islanders, cross-Solent ferry services, Mr Tice said the issue had been raised with him by a number of people and questioned the current arrangements surrounding the ferry operators.
He said:
“Lots of people have raised this with me. I’ve been aware of it for some time, and just talking to James and other councillors earlier, you know, we’ve got to look at what are the options, what’s the leverage that the council’s got with the ferry companies.
“Because it seems to me and us that at the moment, it’s a bit of a free-for-all. And it’s unregulated, and, you know, the ferry companies, they keep being traded between different private equity groups.”
Mr Tice said businesses should be able to operate successfully while providing a reliable service, but added that customers should not feel they are being overcharged.
He continued:
“We want businesses to be well-run, provide a great service, a reliable service, but equally, no one likes being ripped off.
“And I think there is a better way to do things than is currently.”
James Whelan, Reform UK’s Group Leader on the Isle of Wight, also raised concerns about the impact of ferry disruption and the arrangements put in place when services cannot operate.
He said:
“We’re having to deal with the mechanical situation with the ferries, which has a massive knock-on for the economies like Town Centre and the rest of it, of course.
“And the provisions that are put in place aren’t good enough. So if they’re going to charge us through the nose for a ticket, they better be able to put a system, put a service on to replace that service.”
Successive governments have done absolutely nothing but the absolute bare minimum for the Isle of Wight, we are constantly being ignored and are criminally underfunded by an uncaring establishment.
Now it is suggested that northern townies in No10 expect us to help them by taking these people? Why on earth should we? Taking culturally incompatible asylum seekers, or to use the correct term, economic migrants of highly questionable origin, is wrong for them and wrong for the Island!
Why should the North of England take more than their share.
“Economic migrants” isn’t the correct term and there are many “culturally compatible” refugees on the Island, who have settled here happily already. Typically, Richard Tice was only been asked about current local issues and not about the Reform plans to curtail people’s hard won rights, to privatise the NHS and his own dodgy tax dealings.The reality is, they can say anything because they’ll never have to follow through.
Reform don’t have a clue.
Vote for Count Bin Face
Photo three writes its own caption, ‘No Riff Raff Please’
Best way to identify Reformers bunch of hooligans.
And labour bunch of wanker are good ?
Hence Conservatives is the way to go.
Because that fared so well last time around
The country was in a much better position financially
and more people were in work.
Because it worked so well the last time around hahaha.
WRIGERLY QUIGERLY your Labour mp for Isle of Wight west is all in favour of this and more diversity.(along with tourist tax).Let’s start by sticking a dozen in his garden(massive space) and see if that changes his mind .‘Honestly ye olde chocolate teapot must be our first and very last Labour mp. Wrigerly the clock is ticking.
The King of the North is odds on to win the next election.
Reform are slipping, maybe the numpties on the island will
vote Reform but the majority of the country are not buting it.
Conservatives for me. Joe is doing a great job.
Rubbish
The truth always hurts
Bless
Well said.
Oh shut up you deluded goon.
Another Numpty
Self opinionated twat has to have his say albeit that he has totally lost the plot.
He can’t help it once a twat always a twat…
One way to describe yourself.
Bless you
The truth hurts
Bless
Don’t know where you get your facts from.Oddschecker today has Andy Pandy and the Labour Party at 5 to 1 towin the next election nowhere near odds on.Reform today back ahead in the opinion polls (YOUGOV).Please back up your statement with some facts.
Lol! Well put. He must have a least 8 bedrooms free plus the field over the back he purchased! Could pop some tents up there
So Reform are desperate for votes! bless them.
The island needs it’s own Bin Face
Lol
One could say it is ridiculous to house immigrants on the
mainland, why should the island be any different,
is the island not in the United Kingdom
At least on the island being the island is surrounded by
water it is easier to control people, bit like Alcatraz.
Because we can’t even house our own people let alone a load of nonses.
Well said.
Once a Numpty always a Numpty
Housing people does not work like that
just because a person is born some where
they are not entitled to a house.
These words say it all, ”These people have broken into out country illegally and should be detained or deported” So why is this Labour government allowing it to happen and why are they getting away with being jailed for treason and betrayal of their own voters?
Cool. Wish I’d known! I’d have popped over and shook his hand! Reform UK
Bless you
Tice is one of the chancers that visited a second home on the Island during the Covid19 pandemic at a time when travelling to second homes was against the rules.
He, his “journalist” girlfriend Isabel Oakeshott and Freddy Gray of The Spectator met with disgraced former MP, Bob Seely.
He’s a millionaire who thinks the rules don’t apply to him.
He’s very much part of “the establishment” that his party purports to oppose.
I’d much rather have migrants and asylum seekers on the Island than Reform politicians.
The only good to come from this is a list of Reform supporting businesses that I’ll never again use.
Suggest you start packing now then.
Well said. So many people are easily brainwashed
and believe anything they hear.
Look at all the Brexit lies
£350,000,000.00 a week
All they achieved by voting Brexit was they can no longer
live in Europe and the UK is now flooded with migrants.
Maybe numpties should do their home work before voting
unortunately the uneducated cannot work it out.
Bless them
You absolute lefty moron.
Apart from cause nuisance what is there for one of these ” Invaders” to do on the Island????
Get bored cause crime.
You are a special aren’t you. You nooody house them. T W A T.
What could migrants and asylum seekers do on the Island?
They could help to fill vacancies in our health and social care services.
They could help to fill vacancies in our agriculture, hospitality and manufacturing industries.
They could contribute to our communities through clubs, societies and associations.
They could enrich our culture by sharing their own and learning about ours.
They could be wonderful neighbours.
All of the things they’re already doing!
I work with migrants. I socialise with migrants and I have migrants for neighbours.
My life is better for it. I’d rather live amongst migrants than narrow-minded bigots and isolationist xenophobes.
The NHS and care homes need the staff
let them over the island needs to do their bit.
From what I have seen of the good for nothing
druggies and p*ssheads wandering the streets of
the island costing the country millions in benefit money.
Migrants are a much better and cheaper option.
Stick them in Brexiteers back gardens.
Repeatedly warned it would start a small boat crisis.
Didn’t listen. And if they’re still listening to scum like this perhaps they could help Reform launder a few more roubles.
Great idea.
So the wave of illegals all across Europe was because of brexit? when did Italy, Germany, and France leave the EUrinal?
Yet all of these countries you mention are letting them
get through to France, and then leaving France seems
easy peasy.
We were warned 50 years ago by an MP of the consequences that would happen, they didn’t listen then either
Maybe it is all being orchestrated.
What are the rumours I am hearing from a few people that Calverts in Newport have some illegals already being coached in in the early hours of the morning and 16 seater minibuses ferrying them from Newport to Sandown.
Better to be full than empty.
We’ve got enough nonces, drug dealers and criminals of our own that no one
has ever grown the balls to deal with in the proper manner already
Totally agree, as a country we can’t even look after our own veterans, old people or get the health service up to scratch for the amount of people already here. I pay taxes like most other working (and even retired people now). It’s hard enough for people to feed their own families without paying illegals phone bills and transport on top of their full board accommodation.
Sadly that is a way of life thesedays
Im sure James will turn a blind see if they are young, male and from Afghanisitan