Darren James - I am delighted to announce that I will be your Reform UK Candidate representing Rhondda and Ogmore.

Full statement

Born and raised in the heart of the South Wales valleys it is a privilege and an absolute honour to represent my own constituents in the forthcoming General Election. I have a background in Engineering and Construction spanning approximately 35 years, also I have previously worked in our NHS for approximately 7 years.

My hobbies include a variety of sporting activities especially Rugby and football. I have been fortunate enough to play, coach and manage several teams in both codes. Participating in sport has enabled me to make many great acquaintances and everlasting friendships both locally, nationally and worldwide.

I enjoy working with a variety of charities, I take great pride in participating in activities, supporting individuals and raising funds for various charity events. These include: - Cancer Research, Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice, Age Concern, suicide awareness, Welsh veterans and local charities close to the heart.

I chose to Represent the Reform Party as I honestly believe that we are the only credible party who can genuinely represent Britain and the British people. Our main priority is to create a better, brighter future for us all. Over the past few decades, I have been disillusioned with politics in our country and I have witnessed a rapid decline in every public service in my own constituency and our country as a whole. Under both the Conservatives in Westminster and the Labour government here the Senedd we are constantly being reminded that they have no solutions to the hardships we endure on a daily basis therefore we will continue to suffer the dire consequences of their incompetence and be driven further into poverty.

In comparison Reform UK offers the best possible solutions to get us back on track, restore our democracy and get us all out of this shambolic mess that we find ourselves in. We plan to boost our economy and improve our livelihoods, listed below are some examples of Reforms proposed policies: -

Reducing foreign aid by 50%. Focus on putting Britain and the British people first before helping others. Stop the boats and take back control of our borders. Freeze non-essential immigration. Zero NHS waiting lists, free private healthcare/treatment if you cannot see a GP within 3 days, a Consultant within 3 weeks or needing an operation within 9 weeks. Make work pay: - raise the annual income tax threshold from the current allowance of £12, 500 per person to £20,000 per person. Safeguard our primary school children’s innocence by putting an immediate stop to RSE being taught to children as young as 3-4 years of age. All our proposed solutions can be found in our outlined policies - Policies Reform UK - Reform UK (reformparty.uk)