THE Brexit bandwagon rolled into Dudley with ditch the EU cheerleader-in-chief Nigel Farage at the wheel.

The UKIP leader’s arrival in his battle bus – with the theme tune from the Great Escape blaring from the speakers – was greeted by huge crowds of cheering and clapping supporters who had gathered in the town’s Market Place on Tuesday morning (May 24).

Halesowen News:

Mr Farage teamed up with West Midlands UKIP activists, including UKIP's Sedgley councillor and West Midlands MEP Bill Etheridge, to try and persuade people to vote for Britain’s exit from the EU.

He gave a rousing speech from the top of the bus and thanked Dudley for the “amazing welcome”.

“Our politicians have given away control of our country,” Mr Farage said.

“They have given away control of our borders – and our message has got to be clear, it’s got to be assertive – we believe in Britain, we believe in this country, we believe in its people and we want our country back.

“We want our passports back, we want our borders back, we want our nation back.”

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When asked about how leaving the EU could benefit the people in Dudley, Mr Farage said that traditional manufacturing in the West Midlands had been “grievously affected”, especially with EU energy policy.

He said: “It set us off down a course of expensive energy and manufacturing engineering has really suffered horribly as a result of it.

“With Brexit we have a chance to bring down energy bills for manufacturers.

“Every single regulation passed by Brussels designed for international trade affects this business here selling to local residents in Dudley.

“If we can just stop the torrent of legislation that has fallen upon men and women doing their best to run their own businesses.

“That’s financial and I will say that, and the other side will say we will be worse off.

“At the end of the day, important though trade and money are, this referendum isn’t about that. This referendum is about political union – do we wish to continue in a political union with the EU, over which we have very little say.

“I would argue we should be a self-governing democratic nation which can trade with Europe, we should be good next door neighbours with Europe – but to be part of a system where the unelected commission have the sole right to proposal and frankly I think it’s abhorrent, not just for us, but for the rest of Europe too.

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Mr Farage told the News that this is the “most important vote” of Dudley people’s lives.

He added: “This is the most important vote you will ever have.

“However cynical you are about politics, about whether voting can change things – this is one vote that really could change things.”

Paul Brothwood, Dudley UKIP group leader, said: “It is absolutely great to have Nigel in town.

“We have a very strong support from people here in Dudley to leave the EU.”

The British referendum on the EU will take place on Thursday June 23.