'People in Doncaster want a real Brexit,' says Nigel Farage as he brings battle bus to borough

The party leader kicked off a final day of campaigning addressing around 25 activists at a press conference inside the Earl Hotel on Bennetthorpe.

Farage claimed in a press conference before activists boarded the Brexit Party battle bus that the Conservatives ‘couldn’t win in Doncaster’ despite polls indicating the Tories could unseat Labour’s Caroline Flint in Don Valley.

He also said he was hoping for ‘very, very heavy rain or snow’ in Doncaster on polling day so Labour voters ‘whose hearts aren’t in it don’t turn out to vote’.

A battle bus took Mr Farage to Spotbrough for some door-knocking. Embarrassingly for the Tories, they came across a Conservative party member handing out leaflets who admitted he had voted Brexit Party.

Asked whether the Brexit Party were splitting the Leave vote, Mr Farage said: “We’ll see what happens. Maybe there is a huge sea change going on out there, I don’t know.

“What I do know is support for Labour is falling really sharply in these areas and I think do the people in Doncaster want Brexit? Yes, they want a real Brexit and this is my concern all the way through.

“Boris said let’s get Brexit done but what he’s offering doesn’t get it done.

“Why don’t we all stand down and become a one party state? The argument and logic of this is crazy.

“What could have happened across the north very easily is I offered the idea of a Leave alliance - they didn’t want to do it.

“A lot of our voters are old Labour voters who would never vote Conservative if you paid them.

“We saw this in 2015 with UKIP we actually made it easier for the Conservatives. We stood in the European elections to reset the agenda and dragged the Tory party kicking and screaming to a better place but it’s still not where we need to be.”

When asked about any other policies the Brexit Party offer apart from leaving the European Union, Mr Farage said: “I think the whole idea that politics doesn’t work any more.

“It’s broken and Westminster is utterly remote and doesn’t respond to demands of ordinary folk and the idea of real political reform and change - change to the voting system, getting rid of the House of Lords and bringing our system into the 21st century.

“I think five or 10 years ago, political reform was an academic argument and today people are screaming out for it.”

Before Mr Farage addressed the canvassers, Doncaster North candidate Andy Stewart was on the verge of tears as he spoke about some of the abuse he and others had received during the campaign.

Mr Farage also addressed allegations that Doncaster Central candidate Surjit Duhre was ran off the road which caused a Brexit Party election slogan to topple over.

But South Yorkshire Police later said the wind played a factor in the incident and no other vehicles were involved.

Mr Farage hit out at South Yorkshire Police for ‘not taking this seriously’.

“I particularly wanted to come here because some of the treatment our candidates have been subjected to was so vile, I thought I’d pop through to support them,” Mr Farage said.

“Quite what we’ve sunk to in this country with these levels of threats and intimidation I do not know.”

Doncaster North candidates:

Wendy Bailey - Independent

Frank Calladine - English Democrats

Stevie Manion - Yorkshire Party

Ed Miliband - Labour Party

Joe Otten - Liberal Democrats

Katrina Sale - Conservative Party

Andy Stewart - Brexit Party

Eddie Todd - Independent

Neil Wood - Independent

Don Valley candidates:

Mark Alcock - Liberal Democrats

Nick Fletcher - Conservative Party

Caroline Flint - Labour Party

Chris Holmes - Yorkshire Party

Kate Needham - Green Party

Paul Whitehurst - Brexit Party

Doncaster Central candidates:

Surjit Singh – Brexit Party

Leon French – Yorkshire Party

Paul Horton – Liberal Democrats

Frank Sheridan – Green Party

Roberto Weeden-Sanz – Conservative Party

Rosie Winterton – Labour Party