Leave now! Harrogate council slaps a parking ticket on Boris' Brexit bus

Activists campaigning for the UK to leave the European Union had a shock this morning when their official '˜battle bus' was given a parking ticket.
The Vote Leave battle bus gets a parking ticket on its visit to Harrogate. Picture: Adrian Murray (1605243AM3)The Vote Leave battle bus gets a parking ticket on its visit to Harrogate. Picture: Adrian Murray (1605243AM3)
The Vote Leave battle bus gets a parking ticket on its visit to Harrogate. Picture: Adrian Murray (1605243AM3)

The distinctive, red Vote Leave vehicle was parked on one of the main roads through Harrogate town centre while activists handed out flyers.

Sign-carrying supporters of the leave campaign had barely been gone for half an hour when the vehicle received the ticket from a council parking enforcer on West Park, overlooking the Stray by Bettys.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Representatives from the group were canvassing the town centre as part of a national drive to encourage the country to vote to leave the EU on June 23.

Some members of the campaign had hoped for appearances by high profile supporters of the leave campaign such as former Mayor of London Boris Johnson or former Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Iain Duncan Smith, but this leg of the campaign was led solely by activists from the Yorkshire and Humber branch.

Richard Cooper, leader of Harrogate Borough Council, said: “The ticket was issued to the Vote Leave campaign bus because it was parked illegally. It is a high profile reminder that everyone, no matter who they are, should park their vehicles legally and responsibly.

“In the interests of balance, I must make it clear that had this been a Remain campaign battle bus then we would also have ticketed it.”