WE have to respect the referendum vote – the details don't matter.

That's the view of the newly-unveiled Brexit Party candidate for South Swindon.

Justin Stares, a journalist who grew up in the town, has been announced as a prospective parliamentary candidate for Nigel Farage’s party.

He will contest the constituency – which voted 51 per cent Leave – in the next general election, standing against the incumbent Robert Buckland MP.

“Like many people who are standing, I’m fed up that the UK has not left the EU,” said Mr Stares.

“It’s quite ridiculous that several years down the road from the referendum parliament doesn’t want to finish the job.”

Mr Stares, who will be entering politics for the first time, moved to Swindon when he was two. He attended Chiseldon infant and primary school, Churchfields Comprehensive and New College before going on to study at Bath University and the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium.

He currently lives in Belgium, reporting on the EU.

Mr Stares said: “About 10 years ago I started noticing an anti-democratic shift in the EU, when the EU Constitution was rejected in referenda in several countries.

"But the EU later rammed it through repackaged as the Lisbon Treaty. You can’t just ignore referendums when people vote the wrong way, and there’s a real risk of that happening in the UK."

He added: “The kind of Brexit we have mustn’t be mutton dressed as lamb. We’re going to leave the EU and this means taking back control.

“It doesn’t matter to a certain extent what the details are, we have to respect the vote.”

Mr Stares continued: “Brexit is no longer simply about leaving the EU. The movement has morphed into something much bigger. Many of those it now represents have acquired a political education for the first time.

“It has inspired those, like me, who have never considered standing for public office, to come forward and help harness this people-powered tidal wave of change.

“The people of Swindon South, by voting to leave the EU, signalled a desire to dismantle a political system that is no longer fit for purpose. The UK must get its independence back which is what I believe the UK and people of Swindon voted for,” he said.