darren swanton previously thomas

Read my full thoughts in The Telegraph. 👇 telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/11…

I hope the appointment of Angus MacIntyre as Reform UK’s shadow Armed Forces minister will one day be seen as a defining moment in British politics. For too long, Westminster has been run by a self-serving political class. We have career politicians who move straight from university debating societies to think tanks, into parliament and then directly into ministerial red boxes. The result has been successive governments made up of individuals with absolutely no real-world experience. Nowhere has this been more damaging than in the vital realm of defence. Over the past two decades, we have had men and women making decisions on our Armed Forces, most of whom have never so much as pulled on uniform, let alone faced the harsh realities of geopolitical conflict. By contrast, RAF Wing Commander MacIntyre brings an exemplary 40 years of military experience to the role, serving Britain across some of the world’s most challenging operational environments, from Mogadishu to Afghanistan. He has seen first hand the damage wreaked on our proud military by years of underfunding. We are immensely proud to have him on board. His appointment is a signal of our determination to recruit people who have spent their working lives doing the jobs they are now being asked to help shape politically. Our policing and crime adviser, Colin Sutton, had a distinguished 40-year career in the police. Most notably, he investigated and convicted the serial killer Levi Bellfield. Real careers, real experience. Angus will be far from the last of his type. I intend to bring the best minds this country has to offer in health, farming, technology and business into politics and government. The career politicians are terrified of this approach, of course. They love their cosy monopoly. They want to convince the British public that governing a country is some mystical art form known only to those who have spent decades marching through the parliamentary lobbies. But it's common sense. If a private company were failing as catastrophically as our Government, shareholders wouldn’t tolerate the same failed boardroom hacks. They would bring in turnaround specialists immediately. That is what Reform UK will do. The British people are crying out for competent management. That is what we will deliver. The old parties have had their chance. They failed. Now it is time for people who know what real service looks like to step forward and help us fix broken Britain. Angus MacIntyre has answered that call. Many more will follow. Our best days still lie ahead of us. Just as long as we have the courage to choose experience over the same failed political class.

Britain is broken because it's run by useless, career politicians. Angus MacIntyre, our new Shadow Armed Forces Minister, has served our military for 40 years. If you want to fix Britain, join Reform today.