Berni Benton from Llanwrtyd Wells is aiming to be the candidate for the Official Monster Raving Loony Party for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe in the General Election, under the name Lady Lily the Pink.

She is currently fundraising for her election bid and is looking to raise £500, which would allow her to stand.

Berni set up a crowdfunding page recently in the hopes of a future general election after receiving local support. A General Election was called three days later, leaving her with little time to raise the necessary funds.

Speaking on the campaign, Berni Benton as Lady Lily the Pink said: “I have stood before as Lily the Pink of the Monster Raving Looney Party. I’m standing under their banner because that’s the party I’m a member of but not because I’m going there to be a looney and I think it’s funny but because politics at the moment is a bit of a joke, and I don’t mean that in a funny way; it’s just farcical and unbelievable.

“I think what’s happened over the last several years is that more and more people are kind of frightened to get involved with politics and say ‘I’m not going to vote, what’s the point, it doesn’t change anything.’ People are really disenfranchised which is a very dangerous path to head down because I think career politicians love population apathy because then they only have to appeal to the people who pay them so they love a low turnout.

“I feel that our system is very flawed, I think we should have proportional representation and I also think there should be compulsory voting, but in order for that there needs to be ‘none of the above’ option on the ballot so people can protest about the way the system is. So I am standing as Lady Lil to be the none of the above option. It’s not about me getting votes, I don’t want them, what I want is people to want to have someone to vote for and I’m worried we don’t have someone to vote for. 

“There’s no line that we have to tow, we all just do it for our own reasons. Some do it for a joke; I do it because I think it’s really important to try and engage people in politics.”

“I’m not saying it’s going to happen but what if I turn up and get a lot of votes, does that not send a clear message that the system is failing? And that’s really the way I want it to be,” she added.