‘Won’t be intimidated’: UAP candidate Benjamin Britton blasts sign slashers

A UAP candidate has warned those damaging his political signs that he has an “endless supply”. The military veteran has so far had to replace over 350 signs where his head had been slashed in half or cut off.

An Illawarra political wannabe has called out Greens supporters after claiming more than $2000 of election signage has been damaged during the election campaign.

Benjamin Britton, the United Australia Party’s candidate in Cunningham, has claimed he has replaced 350 signs, at $6.25 a pop, after they had been vandalised with his face often slashed in half or lopped off.

“My signs are being specifically targeted,” Mr Britton said.

“It keeps occurring in the same spots. They’re slashing my head off and cutting my face out.

“I’ve had to replace 350 signs. This is happening all over the electorate. We will keep replacing them, we have an endless supply, we have dedicated volunteers and we won’t be intimidated by anyone.

UAP Cunningham candidate Benjamin Britton’s face cut out of a sign in Cordeaux Heights. Picture: Supplied

Benjamin Britton claims he and his volunteers have replaced 350 damaged signs. Picture: Supplied

“People think it’s all getting funded by Clive Palmer, but it’s coming out of my pocket. We’re given a small amount of [generic UAP] signs, but my corflutes with my face on it are self-funded.

“It’s electoral intimidation. Elderly people have had signs slashed and feel afraid to put them up and I’ve spoken to smaller parties who are worried about putting theirs out because they only have 100 signs.”

Mr Britton, a military veteran, points to supporters of the Greens due to him wearing a military beret and medals in his political advertising and the left-wing party’s “anti-defence” stance.

The Greens’ Cunningham candidate, Dylan Green, didn’t know who the culprit was, adding “everyone’s signs have been damaged“.
“I have no idea who has been damaging the signs,” Mr Green said.

“Everyone has had signs damaged and I’ve seen some of mine damaged. One of my friends who has a sign caught some teenage girls [vandalising one of his signs] so it’s most likely a bunch of kids just being a nuisance.”

Earlier this year, Mr Britton’s use of military attire in political advertising was criticised by Australia Defence Association executive director Neil James in an article by The Guardian.

Mr James said it was “wrong” and that no matter “how proud he is about his service, it’s wrong to misrepresent the ADF as endorsing his candidacy”.

Mr Britton made an astonishing riposte to the “ex-top brass” and said the reason he ran aligns with many veterans and refused to condemn the protests that boiled over onto Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance in September, 2021.

UAP candidate Benjamin Britton, a veteran, said fallen soldiers would had been standing with protesters who stormed Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance last year. Picture: Alex Coppel

“The ADA is run by ex-top brass,” he said.

“They are everything wrong with defence. The ADA is a lobby group that’s become irrelevant in the defence community.

“I need to demonstrate that I served and I am here to serve again. Vets are shamed into not wearing the medals and head berets. People have the right to know I am a vet and I want to be as transparent as possible.

“I’ve had no intentions of running for politics before, but in the last two years of seeing the behaviour of the state and federal government and seeing our freedoms eroded – it wasn’t handled well. [They restricted] freedom of movement, right to bodily autonomy and right to gather.

“My view is that the [Shrine of Remembrance] is there to honour their sacrifice and if they were alive today and had seen the police and government do what they did, they would have been standing there with [the protesters].”

While swigging down his second coffee, Mr Britton shed more light on the bizarre situation directly south in Whitlam where former UAP candidate Timothy Banfield sensationally quit the party while labelling it as “authoritarian” and “communistic”.

It was the second time Mr Banfield has chaotically abandoned a political party with the now church minister having walked out of Labor days before the 2012 Shellharbour Council election due to being number four on the five-candidate ticket.

Timothy Banfield after he quit Labor in 2012 and after he quit the UAP in 2022.

“Look at what happened before,” Mr Britton explained.

“He was all Labor before he quit and the same has happened with us.

“Personally I got along with him, I’ve never had a problem, but his conduct was questionable.

“He was told it would cost $50 million for the Macquarie Bypass when it would cost $1 billion at least and that’s why the party didn’t take action.”

On the election trail, Mr Britton said he has been pushing the UAP’s $40 billion healthcare pledge that the party says will “bypass” state government.

He wants to see upgrades to both Bulli and Wollongong Hospital, the latter he argues is at an “atrocious standard” and he also wants to see Shellharbour Hospital become fully operational given its proximity to Cunningham.

When asked about Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s hasty announcement that Port Kembla could be the home of a nuclear submarine base, Mr Britton said he was “neither for or against it”.

UAP candidate Benjamin Britton outlined healthcare as one of the key issues in Cunningham. Picture: Dylan Arvela

“No decision can be made on if the subs go to Port Kembla or not without the full consultation with the people of the Illawarra,” he said.

“I know about the project and about the subs and the likelihood is they will try to put it at Port Kembla, but if people oppose it they will have to put it somewhere else.”

“The Liberal government doesn’t give a damn about the Illawarra, but they announce this when they want to look politically favourable.”

Mr Britton, whose dad played rugby with UAP leader Craig Kelly, said there were pros to the base, arguing it would create around 7000 jobs and protect domestic shipping lanes, and cons.

“Foreign subs docking could see them getting into fights,” he claimed.

“It depends on the individual, but they could get rowdy after being underwater for two months.

“People with less knowledge about the subs could also worry about it being there and feel intimidated.”