Mark Hoath has said that Rishi Sunak called a surprise early election over fears of a migrant crisis (Image: GB NEWS)
Reform UK has said that Rishi Sunak called a surprise early election over fears of a small boats crisis this summer. Sutton Coldfield Mark Hoath told GB News that he was ready for the upcoming election.
Mr Hoath said that Rishi Sunak had realised that his Rwanda policy would continue to get dragged through the courts and that the number of migrants crossing the Channel would only rise this summer.
The PM announced a general election on July 4 during a rain-soaked address to the country outside Downing Street yesterday Mr Hoath responded to the decision, saying that Mr Sunak decided to jump early instead of being pushed into an election.
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Hoath said the number of migrants crossing the Channel would only rise this summer. (Image: Getty)
The Reform UK candidate said: "I think Rishi Sunak has realised that his Rwanda policy is not going to work. We are going to get even more illegal immigrants coming over in the better weather in the summer - or so we hope it's better weather!
"I think it would have got even worse for him, and that's the main reason he has called it early. He has realised his policies are failing as they failed on virtually everythihng they have put forward and so I am ready, bring it on!"
Figures released last week showed that almost 10,000 people have arrived in the UK after crossing the English Channel in small boats this year. The Home Office called the numbers "unacceptable".
The number - more than 9,800 this year alone - is higher than the total for the first five months of any year since current figures began in 2018.
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A total of 103 people made the crossing in two boats on Saturday while another two boats arrived on Sunday.
Despite the surge in numbers, Mr Sunak today admitted that flights to Rwanda, which would carry migrants who cross the Channel in small boats, will not set off before the election date.
Mr Hoath said that Reform's goal "has always been to punish the Tories for the appalling performance that they've put in".
He said that Richard Tice's party knows they will not sweep into power this election but that Reform will serve as the main opposition to Sir Keir Starmer and stand a chance of winning power at the next vote in a few years' time.
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Reform UK will stand candidates in 630 out of a total of 650 seats at the general election (Image: Getty)
Meanwhile, Reform UK's chief Richard Tice has announced that the party will stand candidates in 630 out of a total of 650 seats at the general election. This comes after Nigel Farage confirmed he won't stand in the general election, but he will help the Reform UK campaign
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Speaking at the Reform election launch event today, Mr Tice said: “Contrary to what all the commentators say, we are going to win seats." He said that Mr Sunak is "terrified" that Reform UK "is going up and up in the polls" while the Tories "have been sinking".
Veteran politician Ann Widdecombe also spoke at the launch event. She pointed to the latest net migration figures, which stood at a provisional 685,000 in the year to December 2023. She said this was "nowhere near the 200,000 that we had been previously promised".
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