A former Conservative councillor in Walsall has crossed the political floor to join the right-wing party Advance UK, which is backed by controversial anti-Islam campaigner Tommy Robinson.
From Conservative to Advance UK
Councillor Jade Chapman, who represents the Rushall-Shelfield ward, publicly announced her resignation from the Conservative Party on September 18. This significant political shift came shortly after her attendance at the Tommy Robinson 'Unite the Kingdom' march in London on September 13.
Also present at the same demonstration was her husband, Lee Chapman, who had stood as a Conservative candidate in the Pelsall by-election just the week before.
A New Political Home
In a statement to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Councillor Chapman declared that Advance UK is the 'first party that refuses to silence ordinary people'. She expressed strong views on the current state of British society, stating she has watched British people become 'not just tolerant but suppressed'.
She elaborated further, claiming: "We now have equality and diversity processes that, instead of promoting fairness, are too often placing ethnicity ahead of ethics, pushing British families to the back of the queue for housing, benefits, healthcare, and jobs." She concluded that this situation is, in her view, neither equality nor justice, and that the British people have 'had enough'.
Understanding Advance UK
Advance UK is a newly formed right-wing political party led by Ben Habib, the former deputy leader of Reform UK. The party's policies and its endorsement from activists like Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, have led some commentators to describe it as far-right.
The party faced early controversy when its planned launch at a hotel in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in September was cancelled. The labour-led Newcastle City Council, which owns the venue, called off the booking on 'health and safety grounds'.
Councillor Chapman defended her decision, adding: "For too long, no mainstream party has been willing to truly defend free speech. Advance UK is the first party I've seen that refuses to silence ordinary people or shame them for raising concerns." She stated that people across the country feel unable to speak openly for fear of being 'labelled, judged, or attacked', which she believes is incompatible with a healthy democracy.
She finished by saying she is proud to join Ben Habib and Advance UK, a party she says stands for 'honesty, courage, and the protection of British values'.
