THE United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) has announced its prospective Parliamentary candidates for the general election in May.

John Short, who is chairman of the party’s Swindon branch, will be attempting to oust Robert Buckland in Swindon South, while James Faulkner will be trying to win Justin Tomlinson’s seat in North Swindon.

Both candidates will be looking to build on the party’s success at last year’s local elections where it received more than 22 per cent of the popular vote, although it took no seats.

John says he will look to change the way the town is represented as he believes the current system is not working.

He said: “My motivation is to serve the people of Swindon and to challenge the way the town is represented.

“I feel this government have failed the town and it is time for a change. We have taken a step backwards in terms of local planning, infrastructure and jobs. We now have our manifesto called Policies for People which outlines what we are representing.”

Historically, Swindon has predominately been a two-party plan, but John now feels they can carry on the momentum from last year and stands a chance of taking the seat.

“If I didn’t think I stood a chance of winning then I would not be standing,” he said.

“Going by what we are told by people we speak to then there is definitely a very strong level of support for UKIP in Swindon.”

John also feels that the party are not fairly represented in the national media but believes voters will see what the party represents by the time the election comes around.

He said: “I’m not in the business of attacking other parties but when someone in the Conservative party says something out of turn then it does not get the same amount of coverage as when someone in UKIP does.

"People say things such as UKIP are against the NHS and things like that but it’s not true. We want the NHS to remain free at the point of delivery.”

UKIP are now the third party to announce candidates in Swindon for the general election. Labour will have Anne Snelgrove running in the south and Mark Dempsey running in the north. The Green Party’s candidates are Poppy Hebden-Ceeder in North Swindon and Talis Kimberley-Fairbourn for South Swindon.