Nigel Farage may have announced that he was withdrawing all Brexit Party candidates from contesting Tory-held seats in the General Election, but he reckoned without the determination of Paulette Furse.

Mrs Furse had been selected as the Brexit Party candidate for Sevenoaks, but after Mr Farage's edict she has left the party and is standing anyway as an Independent.

Mrs Furse is passionately on favour of Brexit.

She was previously the chairman of the Sevenoaks Conservative Association, but quit in February in protest at what she perceived as a lack of commitment to Brexit from Theresa May's Government and the town's then MP Sir Michael Fallon.

Mrs Furse has lived in Sevenoaks for 26 years. She started her own company Ferncroft Bookkeeping Limited in 1999, while bringing up her three daughters. The business is now run by her husband while she concentrates on campaigning.

She said: "Politics is broken and the two-party system is no longer serving our district or our country - times have changed.

"I am not a career politician and believe politics should go back to being about serving one’s constituency. I truly think that only a local person can give true representation and commitment. I was elected as a Parish Councillor in May and have a good level of understanding when it comes to local issues.

Mrs Furse, 53, said: "I have experience in working with many MPs - cross-party. I campaigned alongside Vote Leave in 2016 and am actively involved with an All Party Parliamentary Group on Domestic Violence.

"I am determined to uphold the democratic vote of 54% of this district who voted to leave the EU in 2016. I thoroughly believe that we need to push on and get “Brexit done!

"If elected, I will back Boris - I will not hold him up like his Remainer colleagues have done in the past.

"We need to bring this uncertainty to an end as quickly as possible so businesses, trade and our housing market can start moving again."

Mrs Furse can be contacted on office@sevenoaksresidents.org.uk

The other candidates standing in Sevenoaks are Sean Finch (Libertarian Party), Seamus McCauley (Lab), Laura Trott (Con), Paul Wharton (Green) and Gareth Willis (Lib Dem).

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