REFORM UK have sparked outrage after putting forward plans which would criminalise election campaign materials in Gaelic and Scots.
Nigel Farage’s party has moved an amendment to a Westminster bill that would, if passed, criminalise all political materials that are not in English or Welsh.
If Reform’s amendment to the Representation of the People Bill is passed, those in breach of the law could be jailed for up to six months and could also face a fine.
Reform UK bid to criminalise Scottish Gaelic on election materials
Tag: racism
Reform UK and Nigel Farage ‘fanned flames of race riots in Glasgow’
THE finger has been pointed at Reform UK MSPs and their leader Nigel Farage after “race riots” broke out in Glasgow and Belfast.
People in the Scottish and Northern Irish cities were targeted because of the colour of their skin, according to police, as far-right agitators led disorder which saw arson, assaults, and clashes with police officers on Tuesday evening.
Reform UK and Nigel Farage ‘fanned flames of race riots in Glasgow’, Xander Elliards, www.thenational.scot
Scottish Reform UK candidate backed far-right activist Tommy Robinson
A SCOTTISH Reform UK candidate has come under fire after she called for the deportation of Muslims in a series of social media posts.
In messages unearthed by ITV Border, Galloway and West Dumfries Holyrood candidate Senga Beresford has been found to have endorsed a post that called for the UK to “deport the lot of them”, in reference to Muslims.
Scottish Reform UK candidate backed far-right activist Tommy Robinson
Revealed: Reform UK Matt Goodwin’s Academic Ties to Rebranded Nazi Eugenics Front
Reform’s Gorton and Denton candidate, who has said that genetics will expose the “inherent differences between groups” has links to multiple organisations tied to discredited racist pseudoscience
Matthew Goodwin, Reform UK’s candidate in the Gorton and Denton by-election in Greater Manchester, holds a visiting professorship at a university centre whose network includes the front publication for a reconstituted Nazi eugenics foundation. Byline Times can reveal that Goodwin has actively defended, promoted and cited key figures within the network, which encompasses at least five organisations tied to discredited racist pseudoscience.
Revealed: Reform UK Matt Goodwin’s Academic Ties to Rebranded Nazi Eugenics Front, bylinetimes.com
‘I wouldn’t touch a Jewish woman’: Meet the Reform team in Gorton and Denton
Earlier this week, the anti-fascist campaign group Hope Not Hate passed us their research into Goodwin’s fellow campaigners. They had identified five separate individuals who had been out campaigning with Goodwin who had shared racist content online or expressed support for far-right groups. In some cases, there is little grey area: Goodwin’s campaigners have expressed clear support for the far-right group Britain First, baselessly suggested that 60-70% of transgender people are paedophiles or posted online that Muslims are only in the UK because they wish to “conquer” it.
‘I wouldn’t touch a Jewish woman’: Meet the Reform team in Gorton and Denton, manchestermill.co.uk
White supremacist dating site profiles linked to Tory and Reform councillors
[…]
People found by The Observer in the database appear to include an ex-member of the British National Party, activists with the neo-Nazi group Patriotic Alternative, and a man who ran for political office for Britain First.
[…]
A user called Gavin Beales also appeared in the database. An email associated with the profile, set up in 2019, shares a name with a Reform councillor elected in November and also appears to be from the same part of Northamptonshire.
White supremacist dating site profiles linked to Tory and Reform councillors, The Observer
Do Britons think Reform UK are racist? (mostly, yes)
Labour are attempting to take the fight to Reform UK, with Keir Starmer describing the rival party’s proposal to scrap indefinite leave to remain as “racist”, while home secretary Shabana Mahmood has branded Nigel Farage of “worse than racist” dog-whistle politics.
A new YouGov survey conducted for ITV Peston finds that more than four in ten Britons consider the Reform UK party (47%), policies (46%) and voters (43%) to be “generally racist”. This compares to 35-36% in each case who disagree, believing them to generally not be racist.
Do Britons think Reform UK are racist?, YouGov
Reform UK hires ex-Tory MP who was suspended for using racist language
Anne Marie Morris, twice suspended while an MP between 2010 and 2024, will lead Reform’s social care policy
Reform UK has hired a former Conservative MP who was suspended for using the N-word.
Anne Marie Morris, who had the whip withdrawn by Theresa May in 2017 for using the term in a debate about Brexit, will lead Reform’s social care policy. She is one of several ex-Tories who have defected to Nigel Farage’s party.
Morris had used the phrase “[N-word] in the woodpile” in an event at the East India Club, and apologised after the remarks came to light. She had the whip returned to her six months later – one day before a crucial Brexit vote for the then-government.
Reform UK hires ex-Tory MP who was suspended for using racist language, The Guardian
Reform candidate expelled over social media posts
Reform UK has expelled its candidate in a Sefton council by-election after “unacceptable” comments surfaced on social media.
The party confirmed it had removed its support for Irene Davidson, who was due to stand as a candidate in the Blundellsands by-election on 19 June.
Davidson’s X account has now been deleted.
Some of the posts from Davidson’s account, seen by the BBC, included a cartoon of King Charles labelled as a traitor, and calls for Islam to be “eradicated” from the UK.
Despite being expelled from the party, Davidson will still appear on the ballot paper as Reform UK’s candidate as the papers have already been printed.
Reform candidate expelled over social media posts, BBC
The Ordinary Reform Councillor With A Lot Of Bigoted Views
Deadline looms to register to vote in £27k by-election after Reform councillor quits
The by-election is expected to cost taxpayers £27,000
The deadline to register to vote in a by-election triggered by the resignation of a Reform UK councillor after just a fortnight is now looming. People in Eccleshall and Gnosall have a week to register to vote in next month’s Staffordshire County Council by-election which is costing taxpayers £27,000.
Former Eccleshall & Gnosall councillor Wayne Titley was one of 49 Reform candidates to be elected onto the council as the party secured a landslide victory on May 1.
But just two weeks later he resigned after coming under intense online criticism of social media posts attributed to him, including one which called for the Royal Navy to shoot at small boats in the English Channel.
Deadline looms to register to vote in £27k by-election after Reform councillor quits, www.stokesentinel.co.uk
Newly-recruited Reform councillor under fire after voicemail message branded racist
A newly-recruited Reform councillor is under fire for comments made about the Pakistani community in a voicemail left to a journalist.
On Wednesday 18 June, Councillor Andrew Barry, who is a Reform councillor for Merthyr Tydfil Council, left a voicemail seemingly in error to an ITV Wales journalist.
In it, he is having a conversation with an unknown second person about the benefits system and housing. He goes on to say: “They’re putting the immigrants in the HMOs. They’re everywhere. The problem we’ve got, no one’s interested… (Inaudible)
[…]
Newly-recruited Reform councillor under fire after voicemail message branded racist, ITV
Nigel Farage blames admin error for candidates praising Hitler
Reform UK leader blames botched vetting contract for slew of controversial candidates.
When your election candidates keep praising Hitler, something’s probably gone wrong.
Nigel Farage blamed failures by a “reputable vetting company” for a slew of controversies which have hit election candidates standing for his Reform UK party in recent weeks.
One praised Adolf Hitler as “brilliant,” said he was “able to inspire people to action,” and called Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine “legitimate.” Another said Britain “should have accepted Hitler’s offer of neutrality” in the run-up to the Second World War.
Nigel Farage blames admin error for candidates praising Hitler, www.politico.eu
Ex-Labour councillor who defected to Reform distances himself from ‘racist’ Anas Sarwar advert
Jamie McGuire – who joined Nigel Farage’s party last week – told the Holyrood Sources podcast he would have focussed the advert on the economy instead.
Ex-Labour councillor who defected to Reform distances himself from ‘racist’ Anas Sarwar advert, dailyrecord.co.uk
Merseyside Reform candidate removed as social media posts surface week before election
A Reform UK candidate has been expelled after “unacceptable” comments surfaced on social media. Reform UK confirmed it had removed Irene Davidson, who was due to stand as a candidate in the Blundellsands by-election taking place next Thursday, June 19.
In recent days posts on Ms Davidson’s X account had been re-shared on the social media platform by other users highlighting the language used in them. A spokesperson for Reform told the ECHO the social media account had not been disclosed to the party’s vetting team.
Merseyside Reform candidate removed as social media posts surface week before election, www.liverpoolecho.co.uk
Reform expels councillor over ‘inappropriate’ posts
A city councillor in Doncaster has been expelled from Reform UK over historic social media posts deemed “unacceptable” by party leaders.
Mark Broadhurst, who had been in post for just four weeks, will sit as an independent councillor after the party’s decision to withdraw the whip on Thursday.
Councillor Guy Aston, Reform UK group leader, said the decision was a result of “inappropriate social media activity that does not reflect our values or standards: family, community, country.”
A Facebook page belonging to Broadhurst shared a post comparing black Islamic dress to “bin bags”, and a now-deleted image which suggested Adolf Hitler would have been a “legend” if he had targeted Muslims.
Reform expels councillor over ‘inappropriate’ posts, BBC
BBC Debate Night row erupts over ‘racist’ Reform UK ad
A ROW erupted on BBC Debate Night over a “racist” political advert published by Reform UK.
Last week, Nigel Farage’s party was accused of “not so much a dog whistle as a foghorn” after it was found to have promoted an advert on Facebook and Instagram which claimed Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar would “prioritise the Pakistani community”.
The quote, which Reform UK falsely attributed to Sarwar, included selected clips from a video which had been spread by far- and alt-right agitators on social media the previous month.
The National revealed how Reform UK have spent more than £10,000 promoting the advert online, despite sparking outrage from across the political spectrum.
BBC Debate Night row erupts over ‘racist’ Reform UK ad, thenational.scot
Farage defends Reform advert after racism claims
Nigel Farage has defended a controversial Reform UK advert about Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar.
Both Labour and First Minister John Swinney have described the online video – posted ahead of a Holyrood by-election – as “blatantly racist”.
At a press conference in London, Farage played the video and accused Sarwar of introducing “sectarianism” into Scottish politics.
The Scottish Labour leader described the claims as “absolute nonsense”.
The Reform advert, posted on Facebook and Instagram, features clips of a 2022 speech Sarwar gave, external at an event celebrating the 75th anniversary of Pakistan’s independence.
Farage defends Reform advert after racism claims, BBC
Ex-Reform councillor disliked having to watch what she says
Ms Edmunds also said she no longer has to “watch what I say” and so called for the jailed far right activist Tommy Robinson to be freed from jail, describing him as a “political prisoner”.
Donna Edmunds (Via BBC)
Swinney accuses Reform of racism over Sarwar advert
Swinney accuses Reform of racism over Sarwar advert
First Minister John Swinney has accused Reform UK of a “racist attack” on Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar.
Both the SNP and Labour have complained to Facebook’s parent company Meta about a Reform advert running on the site ahead of a South Lanarkshire by-election.
The video features text claiming Sarwar “will prioritise the Pakistani community”.
Reform has denied the video is racist and said it has no plans to take it down.
Swinney accuses Reform of racism over Sarwar advert, BBC
Reform UK accused of “blatant racism” over by-election advert
Reform quizzed over councillor’s Facebook posts
Reform UK has refused to answer questions about a new Doncaster councillor whose Facebook account featured posts comparing black Islamic dress to bin bags.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) approached the party after a number of posts on a Facebook account belonging to Councillor Mark Broadhurst went viral along with calls to “suspend him”.
The LDRS had asked whether the posts – including a since deleted image which suggested Adolf Hitler would be a “legend” had he targeted people following Islam – were acceptable to the party.
A Reform UK spokesperson said the party would not be commenting on questions submitted by the LDRS.
Reform quizzed over councillor’s Facebook posts, BBC
Ineligible, inept and unspeakable
Reform UK Ltd’s councillors, are already proving they are unfit or unwilling to serve
A worrying, if not surprising, number of Reform UK Ltd’s new councillors have been accused of sharing extreme right-wing posts on their social media accounts. However, it’s not just the abhorrent racism, misogyny and links to cosplay fascists that Reform’s AI-based vetting procedure appears to have missed. While they were checking out potential representatives, maybe they should have asked them if they intended to hang around for longer than a couple of days after the election or even if they were actually allowed to be a councillor in the first place.
The Reform company, sorry party, has already seen four of their new cohort announce that they can’t or won’t represent them in the council chamber, decisions that in some cases will cost local government tens of thousands of pounds.
Ineligible, inept and unspeakable, yorkshirebylines.co.uk
Reform UK accused of vetting failures after ‘extreme’ posts by new councillors uncovered
The social media posts have been described as racist, Islamophobic, and misogynistic – including a post by one elected councillor who “joked” about beating his wife.
[…]
The posts seen by LBC include:
Reform UK accused of vetting failures after ‘extreme’ posts by new councillors uncovered, LBC
- A Reform UK councillor “joking” about domestic abuse and racially stereotyping former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
- Another saying we should build fewer mosques because they “divide communities”.
- Others appearing to promote conspiracy theories that climate change is ‘geo-engineered’ and supporting far right figures including Tommy Robinson.
Reform UK councillors face allegations of sharing far-right and Islamophobic content
Up to 12 winning councillors under scrutiny with three accused of retweeting Britain First comments
Up to 12 newly elected Reform UK councillors are facing allegations of sharing social media content ranging from support for the far right to explicitly Islamophobic comments.
They include councillors at three different county councils who have shared social media content from Britain First, a far-right party known for staging provocative marches and stunts.
Reform UK councillors face allegations of sharing far-right and Islamophobic content, The Guardian
Reform won’t suspend councillor who shared Hitler meme during VE Day commemorations
Councillor Joel Tetlow appeared to compare the small boat crossings in the Channel to Hitler’s invasion of Europe in a post he has now deleted. He told Sky News he did not mean “any disrespect” to soldiers who fought in the two world wars.
Reform UK is not suspending a newly elected councillor who has been criticised for sharing a now-deleted Adolf Hitler meme on social media.
Councillor Joel Tetlow is under fire after he posted a picture of the Nazi leader on Facebook, overlooking a map of Europe with an apparent reference to small boats crossing the Channel.
A caption on the picture said: “Why don’t we invade them slowly? A few men at a time in small boats.”
Mr Tetlow, who was elected as county councillor for Accrington North on Lancashire County Council last week, then added: “Let’s be grateful this idea was never put to him. Or the world as we know it would be a whole lot different.”
After being approached by Sky News, Mr Tetlow deleted the post. It had been uploaded on Tuesday.
Reform won’t suspend councillor who shared Hitler meme during VE Day commemorations, Sky News
Reform UK criticised for candidates’ offensive posts
Reform UK is fielding local election candidates who have “posted hate, pushed far-right conspiracies and praised extremists” – despite Nigel Farage’s claim to have beefed up the party’s vetting process, campaign group Hope Not Hate has said.
Reform UK criticised for candidates’ offensive posts, BBC
11 times Nigel Farage had a blazing row with his colleagues
Reform UK leader’s falling-out with a fellow MP is the latest in a long list of quarrels with allies.
Beefing with one colleague looks like an accident. Feuding with a stack of them looks like a habit.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has been engaged in a bitter war of words with fellow MP Rupert Lowe in recent days — marking open warfare in an insurgent party that has been threatening Britain’s Labour government in the polls.
Lowe lost the party whip and was referred to the police in early March after he was accused of “threats of physical violence” and “inappropriate behavior.” He has strongly denied the allegations — threatening to sue the party — and is standing by strident criticism of the way Farage is running Reform, which he has aired publicly in recent days.
11 times Nigel Farage had a blazing row with his colleagues, politico.eu
Major law firm sacks Reform candidate after ‘I hate Islam’ tweet
Former HR executive made series of ‘offensive remarks’ in social media posts
A Reform UK candidate has been sacked by one of the world’s top law firms after he posted “I hate Islam” on social media.
Dan Cooper, a former “senior HR business partner” at law firm CMS, was axed after he was revealed to have made a series of tweets on controversial topics including Islam, transgender rights and the war in Ukraine.
Major law firm sacks Reform candidate after ‘I hate Islam’ tweet, Telegraph
Reform candidate quits and backs Tories – as Nigel Farage says some BNP supporters ‘gravitate’ to his party
Mr Farage addresses the controversy over a Reform canvasser who was caught making a racial slur about Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in an undercover investigation.
A Reform UK candidate has disowned the party and is backing the Conservatives amid a row over racism.
Liam Booth-Isherwood, who was standing in the seat of Erewash, announced he was dropping out of the race and would instead be endorsing the Tory contender Maggie Throup to “stop Labour”.
He said he had become “increasingly disillusioned” with the behaviour of the party and accused leader Nigel Farage of not taking it seriously.
Reform candidate quits and backs Tories – as Nigel Farage says some BNP supporters ‘gravitate’ to his party, Sky News