Brexit campaigner Arron Banks has revealed further details of his plans to “drain the swamp” and radically overhaul Westminster politics.
The millionaire businessman said more than half the seats in the House of Commons should be scrapped and the Lords replaced with an elected senate.
Stealing the language of Donald Trump, who he visited with Nigel Farage after the US election, he said he wanted to “overturn the apple cart” by standing independent candidates against “bad MPs” from all parties who would then force through his reforms.
Mr Banks told BBC Radio 4’s Westminster Hour: “One of the ideas we’ve kicked around is this idea of draining the swamp.
“What you would do is you would stick up independent candidates that were there for one term only, to change the system.”
The ex-Ukip donor explained that the proposed movement’s candidates would sign up to a programme including reducing the number of MPs to 300 and abolishing the House of Lords – replacing it with a 100-member senate.
He said candidates could come from all walks of life such as army officers, doctors, dentists and business people.
He added: “The definition would be that they would go into Parliament for one specific job, basically drain the swamp, get rid of the bad MPs and overturn the apple cart."
The insurance tycoon has previously talked about establishing a “right wing Momentum” to maintain pressure on the Government to deliver Brexit.
The phrase “drain the swamp” was one of the key slogans of the Trump campaign and was chanted at the Republican candidate’s rallies.
Mr Banks visited the President-elect shortly after he won the US election, with Mr Farage and other Ukip figures.
