THE people of Sedgefield have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to send a message about the biggest issue of the day to the new Prime Minister, the UK Independence Party said yesterday.

In October, Gordon Brown travels to Lisbon to ratify the deal Tony Blair agreed on the future of the European Union just days before he stepped down.

Yesterday, president of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, said that deal meant Europe was becoming an "empire".

"Everyone is fighting the campaign on Newton Aycliffe town centre - we are the one party that isn't," said candidate Toby Horton. "A by-election when the old PM is leaving is an ideal opportunity to send a message to the new PM that he should rewrite the treaty. Send a message that we don't want to be part of a European empire, that we do want to control our own lives and we want to be independent - that's the British tradition."

Mr Horton stood against Mr Blair in Sedgefield in 1983, when Mr Blair was anti-Europe and he was pro-Europe.

"We were then in the EEC, a free trading area, but a lot has happened since then," he said. "If we want to tackle terrorism, we have to secure our borders, but we can't now we are in an empire that stretches from the Black Sea to the Atlantic.

"I first met Mr Blair when he was campaigning with Cherie and Pat Phoenix, who played Elsie Tanner in Coronation Street. I said 'we must have a debate', and he said 'no, that's the old politics - meet Elsie Tanner'. It was impossible to lay a glove on him because he spreads this charm - that's his great gift."

Mr Horton, a radio businessman who lives near Northallerton, stood for the Conservatives for two other seats and was chairman of William Hague's Richmond party in the late Nineties.

"A political party is coalition, and I felt the Conservatives were no longer sustainable, so I threw in my £20 with Ukip," he said. "I have enormous regard for William. He's a great Parliamentarian, public speaker and political biographer and, hopefully, we are still friends."

Mr Horton, 60, wasn't expecting to contest another seat until three weeks ago Ukip leader Nigel Farage persuaded him to stand.

"I feel I have been brought out from the pastures, like an ageing warhorse, to fight the biggest issue of our time," he said.