People who voted remain in the Brexit referendum “shouldn’t be allowed to vote”, a Reform UK rally has heard.
John Elliott, a businessman who has lent his support to the party, shared a stage with Reform UK leader Nigel Farage as he made the tongue-in-cheek claim.
After asking if anyone at the Reform UK rally in the north east of England had opposed Brexit and had now “seen the light”, Mr Elliott added: “I reckon anyone who voted remain shouldn’t be allowed to vote.
“Anybody who voted Labour in the last election… what’s their judgment like? Have they got good judgment?”
Mr Farage laughed and did not appear to take the suggestion seriously.
He praised Mr Elliott, the founder of washing machine and dehumidifier manufacturer Ebac, and said the UK “needs people like John, people that take risks, people that set up factories, people that make profits or make losses, people that employ loads of people”.
Mr Farage added: “We’ve got to have the right atmosphere in this country, the right environment for people like John to go out and take those risks.”
Elsewhere in the rally, held in Houghton-le-Spring, near Sunderland, Mr Farage welcomed two defecting Conservative councillors to his party.
Joe Quinn and Cathy Hunt were former Durham County Council Tories, and take Reform’s numbers in the authority up to three.
The party is holding a series of rallies across the UK as it hopes to win more council seats and constituencies in the devolved nations in upcoming elections.
