Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage has said the Labour election campaign is “bombing”.
Mr Farage was speaking about Jeremy Corbyn’s decision to remain “neutral” in a mooted second EU referendum, as he visited market stallholders in Hartlepool.
He said the Labour leader’s stance, which he revealed on BBC’s Question Time on Friday, showed a “failure of leadership”.
A failure of leadership
Speaking to the PA news agency as he stopped for a drink at the King John Tavern, Mr Farage said: “Brexit is the defining issue of our day and the leader of the Labour Party is going to abstain from that.
“I find that astonishing. It’s a failure of leadership. It’s also a reflection that he knows his own parliamentary party are Remainers… so he’s still trying to stay on that fence and it’s not working.
“And I think, frankly, people would say just come down on one side or the other and I think my feeling is the Labour campaign is bombing and that last night made it worse.”
The patriotic issue is huge
Mr Farage added that the Brexit Party could win Labour seats in the election if it attracted ballots from Conservative voters.
He said patriotic voters in places like Hartlepool would vote for his party because of their view of Mr Corbyn.
He said: “I think the Brexit issue is huge, I think the patriotic issue is huge, I think Corbyn is not seen as being very patriotic and I think if Conservative voters in these areas realise that we’re the challenger and come to us, then we could (beat Labour), absolutely.”
Mr Farage said resolving the Brexit issue would help restore the public’s faith in politics.
“What was interesting though, and I felt it when I did it, from the audience last night was the sheer level of hostility.
“This is real, people are very angry with politics, their faith and trust in Parliament, politicians, has never, ever been lower and goodness me it shows.
“This is why, actually, getting Brexit done properly will allow us to get people to believe that if they vote for something it might actually happen.”
A caramel slice and Christmas card for his mother
Mr Farage arrived in Hartlepool on the Brexit Party battle bus and visited the Market Hall in Middleton Grange shopping centre.
Wearing a flat cap and calf-length wax jacket, Mr Farage spoke to a number of stallholders and bought a caramel slice and a £1.29 Christmas card for his mother.
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