Jim Ferguson (British politician)

James Alasdair Neil Ferguson-Hannah (born May 1967) is a British businessman, politician and political commentator. He was the Scottish chairman of Crimestoppers, but is best known for his high-profile Brexit Party candidacy in Barnsley East at the 2019 general election; where he ultimately lost by 3,217 votes, placing second. Ferguson also served as the International Ambassador for Advance UK from 2025 to 2026. He currently hosts Freedom Train International, an online news platform.

Business career Ferguson previously served as managing director of The Castle Group, a security firm based in Inverness, Scotland. The firm was fined in 2014 for placing unlicensed security guards in licensable security roles. He was also appointed Scottish chairman of Crimestoppers in 2016, having served as regional chairman of the north of Scotland for nine years.

Political career At the 2010 general election, he stood as a Conservative parliamentary candidate in Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey, finishing fourth with 6,278 votes (13.3%). He subsequently left the party over their "reluctance to deal with the issues facing Britain".

Brexit Party candidacies Ferguson was a candidate for the Brexit Party in Scotland at the 2019 European Parliament elections; he was not elected being third-placed on the party's list. During the campaign, he publicly defended allegations of funding issues in the Brexit Party, related to Arron Banks and party leader Nigel Farage. At the 2019 general election, he was selected as the Brexit Party's parliamentary candidate for Barnsley East. Following Farage's decision to stand down in Conservative-held seats, YouGov research found that, of the remaining seats, Barnsley Central and Barnsley East had the party's strongest vote share of 25 and 24 per cent respectively.

More than 250 supporters attended a rally in the town; Nigel Farage claimed that the party could win both constituencies. Such was the support that a local fish-and-chip shop owner was ordered by the police to cease promising free meals for Brexit Party voters. Ferguson ultimately finished second with 11,112 votes (29.2%), 3,217 votes behind the elected Labour Party candidate, Stephanie Peacock. In Barnsley Central, the party also came second with 11,233 votes (30.4%).

Online news platform Ferguson founded and hosts an online news platform, Freedom Train International. He espoused a conspiracy theory that Bill Gates and the World Health Organization (WHO) had called for national armies to arrest and force people to take COVID-19 vaccines.

In November 2024, Reuters denounced misinformation Ferguson had disseminated on X (previously Twitter) which claimed that illegal migrants could join Ireland's national police force, Garda Síochána. Following a security incident in Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in February 2026, Ferguson wrote; "Whatever your politics, this is a reminder of the intensity and danger surrounding modern leadership at the highest level. Political violence has no place in a free society." From 2025–2026, Ferguson served as the International Ambassador, and was a 'college member', for Ben Habib's far-right political party Advance UK.

Personal life Ferguson is married with 4 children.

Jim Ferguson (British politician)

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