A former Kent MP adjusting to life outside of the walls of Westminster has divulged why he thinks Nigel Farage doesn’t really want to be PM.
Damian Green represented Ashford from 1997 until he was beaten by Labour’s Sojan Joseph in the landslide last year – rising through the ranks and even serving as deputy prime minister to Theresa May.
He also served as minister for immigration under David Cameron between 2010 and 2012 as well as a number of other ministerial posts.
Appearing on this week’s Kent Politics Podcast, he tells us how Reform UK’s wins in councils across the country could see them falter as they are forced to make unpopular decisions.
He says Nigel Farage is a very effective “gadfly” politician who can stir up trouble but will soon come a cropper when the responsibility of hard decisions fall on his shoulders.
He also discusses life on the outside after becoming “institutionalised” in SW1 and tells us about his new role at the Social Care Foundation, a think-tank focused on the issue swelling for authorities.
Hear the possible options, including an insurance-based system, which could solve the growing pressure, as Mr Green says the whole system needs revolutionising.
Also discussed on this week’s episode is Medway’s controversial new Local Plan draft and the stats which show a staggering number of people in Kent aren’t in work or education.
Our reporters also talk about the government’s woes in handling the welfare bill which aimed to reform, among other things, personal independence (PIP) payments and saw a massive climb-down.
The weekly podcast brings together Simon Finlay, Robert Boddy, and Dan Esson, of the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Simon covers Kent County Council, while Robert reports on Medway Council and Dan specialises in borough and district councils.
You can listen to the podcast at IM Listening, or download it from Apple Podcasts, Spotify and TuneIn – just search for Kent Politics Podcast.
Readers can also keep up-to-date with the latest political news on our dedicated Kent Politics page on KentOnline or sign up for our weekly politics newsletter.
