Spudman calls on STARMER to assist in his flowerbed row as he battles the council over the pitch he is run his enterprise from for 23 years
Spudman has told Keir Starmer to ‘come sort out’ his fight to keep his pitch after being threatened with eviction so the council can plant flowerbeds.
Ben Newman, 40, has been locked in a battle with Labour-run Tamworth borough council who wants to remove him from his spot in the town centre.
He has been selling £5 jacket potatoes from his trailer in Tamworth, Staffordshire for more than two decades and has gained four million followers on TikTok where he shares clips about his business.
A petition backing the spud-seller has been signed by more than 100,000 since it was set up a week ago.
Despite ‘positive’ talks with council chiefs this week, Ben has now called on the Prime Minister to step in after the petition reached the six-figure milestone.
In a video published yesterday titled ‘Dear Keir’, the spud-seller, with his trademark pink-mohawk, said in a direct message to the premier ‘give me a ring and just sort it out’.
‘You know, it’s a flowerbed. You don’t need to be worrying about stuff like that, but obviously it’s got that far that I’m sure you are aware of it,’ he said.
‘I’m in Tamworth, I’m sure your people could get my phone number. I think you’ve got that kind of power.
Spudman has told Keir Starmer to ‘come sort out’ his fight to keep his pitch after being threatened with eviction so the council can plant flowerbeds
In a video published yesterday titled ‘Dear Keir’, the spud-seller, with his trademark pink-mohawk, said in a direct message to Starmer (pictured) ‘give me a ring and just sort it out’
‘Give me a shout, smooth it all over, and you ain’t got to lose any more sleep over it like I am.’
The petition was started on change.org, meaning it’s unlikely Sir Keir will respond to Ben’s request.
The Government responds to petitions started on the Parliament’s website that get 10,000 signatures.
Meanwhile, those that attract 100,000 are considered for debate in the House of Commons.
Ben says he has been left ‘destroyed’ by Tamworth borough council’s plans to turf him out.
The busybody council wants to build a flowerbed in his place as part of renovation plans for the town centre but Ben has vowed to fight to keep hold of his spot.
‘It’s my livelihood. It’s what feeds my children, keeps a roof over their head and stuff like that,’ he said in an impassioned TikTok video.
He sets up his stall from 4.30am, working 14-hour shifts four days a week to feed his nine children and keep a roof over their heads.
Ben has to make trips to hospital for gruelling dialysis treatment for a kidney condition and described his business as his coping mechanism for being ill.
Ben, who has to make trips to hospital for gruelling dialysis treatment for a kidney condition, had hoped to pass the business to his eldest son Dylan (right)
Spudman, aka Ben Newman, pictured with his wife Sarah and their nine children during a visit to Scottish village Newcastleton in June 2024
Pictured is a concept design of the council’s plans to redevelop St Editha’s square. The flower bed, which is being erected in the same place as his current pitch
The flower bed will cover much of the area where Ben currently sells his spuds
He had hoped to pass the business to his eldest son Dylan, who works full time alongside his father, if anything happened to him.
He told MailOnline on Tuesday he has rejected offers from other councils to move to their area, insisting he wants to stay in Tamworth.
Ben said he hopes the council ‘make the right decision’ and said he would be devastated if he couldn’t return to his original pitch stating: ‘I spend more time there than I do at home. It’s my spot.
‘I can’t imagine it’s going to be the most famous flowerbed if they do build it. I don’t think it would be very popular,’ he said before joking: ‘Maybe we would plant potatoes in it?’
After a showdown today with local authority bosses, beloved Ben spent five hours selling one thousand jacket potatoes to customers who had been queuing for the tasty treat for up to 45 minutes.
He said the meeting was ‘positive’ and engineers and designers were going to ‘see what they can do’.
Ben was awarded Freedom of the Borough in August 2024 with his jacket potato trailer being visited by thousands of people from all over the world.
The council statement at the time applauded him for helping to ‘put Tamworth as a town on the map’.
Tamworth Council Chief Executive, Stephen Gabriel, apologised for how the situation had been handled but has not confirmed whether Ben will be able to return to his original spot.
Speaking on Tuesday he said: ‘We met with Ben Newman (Spudman) this morning to address his concerns.
Tucking in: Tom Parker Bowles with Ben Newman at his food truck
Celebrity guests – including Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman – have tried the viral potatoes
Ben works 14 hour shifts four days a week to feed his nine children
‘Our discussion was positive and constructive, and we are currently looking into any previous contractual arrangements, we will continue to keep these discussions open.
‘We acknowledge that we could have communicated better with our street traders, and for this we apologised.
‘We are committed to improving our engagement in the future, particularly our efforts to make St Editha’s Square a welcoming public space.
‘We are eager to collaborate with all traders and businesses and will be reaching out more in the upcoming weeks.’
