The son of Stone’s Conservative MP Sir Bill Cash has joined UKIP.
William Cash Jr, the founder of Spear’s Magazine, is being appointed Heritage spokesman for UKIP and is hoping to be selected for the party in the Midlands for the general election next year.
Sir Bill Cash has said that he “totally disagrees” with his son’s move.
UKIP leader Nigel Farage said: “I am delighted to be welcoming William to the party and am appointing him as our Heritage spokesman. William was deeply involved in the revision stage of the NPPF to strengthen protection for heritage and was invited by the government to submit a report on the implications to heritage of the NPPF.
“He is a member of the Historic Houses Association and also works with such conservation bodies as the Churches Conservation Trust and other leading heritage bodies. He has vast experience in the field and will be a great addition to the team, working closely with Stuart Agnew on countryside matters and Peter Whittle on cultural affairs.”
William Cash Jr said: “This decision has been a long time coming. I have been a passionate advocate of Britain’s successful heritage business but believe that it and the countryside have been badly let down by this Conservative-led government.
“There is a critical need to get the policies right in relation to Green Belt, tourism, heritage and countryside planning. This is especially the case with local economies in areas like the South-East and the West Midlands where tourism is critical to the regional economies. Taxation on repairs for historic buildings is invidious and is damaging a £6 billion per year industry. It is cultural, historical and economic vandalism to allow this to continue.”
Sir Bill Cash told The Telegraph: “I totally disagree with his decision. I completely disassociate myself from his actions.”
Sam Hale, Labour’s Parliamentary candidate for Stone who is standing against Bill Cash next year, commented: “Even Bill Cash’s son is fully aware of how the Conservative-led Government has forgotten the millions of us who live in rural Britain. Our rural communities are feeling the effects of the cost-of-living crisis as much as those in the cities. The bedroom tax has disproportionately hit rural areas as there is typically less social housing but larger properties – Labour have committed to scrapping this unjust tax if elected next year.”
