内容摘要：Pope Francis was born in the city and was Archbishop in 1998.

Pope Francis was born in the city and was Archbishop in 1998.

"We need to get at least 10 million to win," Towler said. "You're not going to find six million votes to our right. You'd be mad to appease some screamy people on the outside of the party."For now, the party's focus is trained on the upcoming local elections. It has high hopes in Lincolnshire where its candidate Andrea Jenkyns, a former Tory MP, is vying to be mayor.

Reform UK sources say internal private polling has left them optimistic about winning what would be its highest elected office to date.But to become a serious contender to win a general election, Reform UK may have to get a firmer grip on its grassroots.It may also have to convince members to back some of the messy compromises that other mainstream parties make to attract more voters.

Nigel Farage has hit back at one of his own MPs after he said Reform UK remains a "protest party led by the Messiah" under his leadership., Great Yarmouth MP Rupert Lowe questioned Farage's approach to leading the party and said he would need the "right people" around him to "deliver the goods".

Responding in an interview

, Farage said Lowe was "completely wrong".He said: "It affects businesses' ability to go very quickly and efficiently to the UK and to Kent.

"We are the closest continental European region to the UK. If we want the region to fully play this role of the ideal gateway to European markets, we need good international train connectivity."Ashford Borough Council originally invested £25m for the infrastructure of the town's international station, which opened in 1996.

It also spent a further £8.5m to upgrade signalling in 2020, so newer Eurostar trains could access the station.Council leader Noel Ovenden said it didn't make sense for both stations to be closed for five years, given the benefits to the local economy and environment.