Tony Love is the Reform UK Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for the Ipswich constituency.

Full statement

Below is short summary of his background.

I was born in Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, in June 1955. My father was in the Royal Navy for 17 years, joining as an artificer and leaving as a Chief Petty Officer. The family were shuffled from one port to another, mostly along the south coast although I did live for a short time, aged six months, in a flat above a chip shop, near the lighthouse in Harwich!

Children of naval servicemen in the 1960s were eligible to attend The Royal Hospital School in Holbrook, Suffolk. These were the most important years of my life where I was transformed from a toerag into an acceptable human being. Mental arithmetic was my strongest attribute and aged nineteen I was working in the Playboy Casino in Park Lane, London.

I was there for seven years as a Dealer and then Inspector of Blackjack, Roulette and Punto Banco (similar to Chemin de Fer) before training croupiers to do the same. When the Playboy Casino closed I moved to a casino in Hans St (SW3) which then relocated to Curzon St, Mayfair.

In 1987 I opened my first Licensed Betting Office in Haslemere, Surrey and spent the next 30 years as an independent bookmaker. Eventually regulatory costs and internet competition overwhelmed the ‘independents’ and I closed my last shop in Liphook, Hampshire in August 2018. I then moved to Felixstowe and now have an antique shop in the town, on the High Street.

Politically, I was selected to stand for the Brexit Party in the Suffolk Coastal constituency in the 2019 general election. We had the only Brexit Shop in the country in Hamilton Road, Felixstowe, where we spoke to hundreds of electors from all sides of the political debate.

The Brexit Party stood many of their candidates down but our team collectively decided I should continue as an Independent. During the campaign we had promised to stand up for those who felt disenfranchised.

At the Brexit Party we were attracting Labour voters hand over fist, many of those who came to speak with us came from Ipswich. It was sad to see so much unhappiness. This Conservative Government was handed a huge mandate by the voters of this country to implement the Brexit that we voted for in the Referendum. They have failed entirely.

They have most certainly failed the people of Ipswich. I feel strongly that the Reform Party will stand up for the people of Ipswich and not treat them as expendable. Both Labour and the Conservatives are culpable when it comes to making promises they do not keep, even worse, do not intend to keep.

I am in a long term relationship, previously having been married for eighteen years having three adult children. My Mother has lived in Nacton for over 30 years during which time she has been Chairman of The League of Friends for Ipswich Hospital.

For three successive years I ran a football competition in conjunction with The League of Friends, Ipswich Town FC and Orwell Park School to raise money for the cause. I feel privileged to represent the Reform Party in Ipswich and to demonstrate our intention to represent you - The People.