They say it’s third time lucky and I’ll be testing that theory to breaking point on December 12 as I stand for Parliament for the third consecutive time.

Even after some electoral success in the local council elections earlier this year, I have no realistic hopes of winning and I swore in 2017 I’d never go through this again. But here I am donning the Green rosette and polishing my debating skills.

Ian Middleton election campaign

‘I see no benefits from leaving the EU and plenty of disincentives’

The issues that brought me back to the hustings won’t be much of a surprise to many. Brexit and climate change are at the top of the list, but the plight of small businesses and retailers is never far from my thoughts.

There are 192,000 VAT-registered retailers in the UK, roughly 8 per cent of all registered businesses. Yet thousands of jobs can be lost in retail across the whole country and the government barely bats an eyelid.

I got into politics partly to fight the corner of those retailers, especially independents, which have had a raw deal from all hues of government. The party I was attracted to – the Greens – seemed to be the most pragmatic and sympathetic towards small business. As a modern centre-left party, we have in our ranks many more successful businesspeople than you might think.

Brexit has been hugely damaging to business and consumer confidence. Uncertainty is never a good thing in business and when you also rely on the confidence of that fickle beast – the consumer – it’s even less welcome.

I see no benefits from leaving the EU and plenty of disincentives. Not least that several of my suppliers dropship to my customers from the EU. Right now, handling that and the thorny issue of reverse logistics is relatively easy. I dread to think what awaits us if we leave both the customs union and the single market. We need to bring the Brexit adventure to a close one way or another and the best way to do that is with another vote.

Beyond box-ticking

My other motivation for standing is the environment. Happily, there’s also a growing synergy there with retail. Since largely withdrawing from the luxury market of my previous retail career, I’ve found a new niche in sustainable consumerism, which, while being something of an oxymoron, is fast becoming a ‘thing’ for every retailer out there.

The climate change emergency and the rise of the ethical shopper means our industry has to nail its green credentials to the mast. But this must go beyond ticking a few virtue-signalling boxes.

“It’s only those retailers that are prepared to genuinely shift their position that will survive in the coming decades”

Consumers are becoming far better informed about the need for real change, and one of the prevailing arguments involves buying less and reusing more. In a business culture where growth is king, we will have to completely rethink how we judge success, and that’s an idea that will need to be sold to investors and shareholders as much as to consumers.

I’m convinced there is a way forward – ways in which conscious consumerism and the ethical dimension can invigorate and enthuse shoppers and maintain retail as a viable industry. But I think things may look very different in future and it’s only those retailers that are prepared to genuinely shift their position that will survive in the coming decades. Assuming we still have an environment to shop in, that is.

How much of a lead we’ll be given on all of this by the government remains to be seen after this and future elections. I hope we’ll see more Green representatives on the side of retail offering a guiding hand, rather than the kick in the teeth we often get from Westminster.

Maybe you’ll see me in the hallowed halls of Parliament as part of that business evolution. Only time and the great British voter will decide.