The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
UKIP reveals MP candidate
UKIP has announced that its sole Peterborough city councillor John Whitby will be its candidate at the next election.
Cllr Whitby unsuccessfully contested the North West Cambridgeshire seat in 2017.
Parties have ramped up their campaigning due to the expectation of a by-election in Peterborough in the near future following the conviction of MP Fiona Onasanya for perverting the course of justice.
Ms Onasanya was found guilty of lying about who was driving her Nissan Micra which was caught speeding. She is due to be sentenced later this month, and depending on the severity of her sentence she could see her lose her seat either through a lengthy jail sentence or a recall petition.
Cllr Whitby said Peterborough has been “let down very badly” by Ms Onasanya, but his main focus was on Brexit.
He said: “Brexit is not being delivered, and no major party is interested in doing so in any real fashion.
“Theresa May’s deal is not Brexit, far from it, and the only option is the much maligned no deal which is in fact no such thing, it is simply moving to the World Trade Organization rules, which are those that govern the majority of world trade.
“The only party consistently in tune with the Brexit views of the people of Peterborough has been UKIP, and getting a UKIP MP returned to Westminster would send an unmistakable and unmissable message to Westminster – deliver on Brexit or lose your seats.
“I’m not after a political career. I got involved in politics, reluctantly, at a local level to try and make a difference, but it’s obvious that this needs too be done at a higher level.”