West Midlands Labour MPs write to borough Reform leader after alleged posts by Stuart Prior
Labour MPs have called for a Reform UK election candidate in Essex to be suspended after he allegedly celebrated the rape of two Sikh women in the Midlands.
MPs demand Reform suspend candidate over claims he celebrated rape of Sikh women, The Guardian
Tag: vetting fail
Reform like to claim they have the most robust vetting process but these examples might beg to differ.
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
Kent county councillor from Margate jailed over years of controlling abuse of wife
A Kent county councillor has been jailed for 12 months after admitting to subjecting his wife to years of controlling and coercive behaviour.
Daniel Taylor, 35, from Margate, was sentenced at Margate Magistrates’ Court today after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing.
Kent county councillor from Margate jailed over years of controlling abuse of wife
Thanet deserved better than Reform’s Daniel Taylor
For nearly ten months now, the residents of Cliftonville have been throwing away hard earned taxes, on an elected representative that deceived them from the start.
Reform UK relentlessly sold Taylor to Cliftonville as a ‘devoted family man’ without bothering to properly look into his background. But as we all know now, this is no isolated incident.
Thanet deserved better than Reform’s Daniel Taylor, thanetlibdems.uk
Lib Dems win by-election after Reform controversy
The Liberal Democrats have won a council by-election which saw Reform withdraw support for its candidate over offensive social media posts.
Zetland ward voters elected Alison Barnes to Teesside’s Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council on Thursday, following the resignation of Independent councillor Jonny Neal.
Lib Dems win by-election after Reform controversy, BBC
‘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
Expulsions ‘a sorry state of affairs’, Reform KCC leader
The leader of Reform UK-run Kent County Council has described the suspensions and expulsions of councillors from her party as “a sorry state of affairs”.
Linden Kemkaran was speaking after five of her colleagues were expelled for bringing the party into disrepute.
It followed a leaked recording of a video meeting in which Kemkaran was seen shouting and swearing at other Reform councillors.
Expulsions ‘a sorry state of affairs’, Reform KCC leader, BBC
Kent shows Reform does not know how to govern
The problems that the council is facing suggests Nigel Farage’s party is far from ready to exercise power
[…]
For Reform, east of Edenbridge became an Eden; during a fractious internal party meeting during which council members attempted to discuss the budget, leaked by councillors, leader of the council Linden Kemkaran said: “We are a shop window. People are judging us every single minute of every single day – Nigel knows that, he is super aware that we are the flagship council.”
But like Eden, not everyone is capable of indefinitely living in paradise. Four members were initially suspended under suspicion of leaking the video, and five have now been removed from the party for bringing it into “disrepute” and displaying a “lack of integrity”.
Kent shows Reform does not know how to govern, telegraph.co.uk
Five Reform UK councillors booted out of party
Five Reform UK county councillors have been expelled from the party for bringing it into “disrepute” and displaying a “lack of integrity”.
Kent councillors Bill Barrett and Robert Ford, who criticised the party’s “toxic” and “incompetent” leadership, were kicked out by email from Reform HQ, which said they had undermined the interests of the party.
Councillors Oliver Bradshaw, Brian Black, and Paul Thomas were also expelled for showing “a pattern of dishonest and deceptive behaviour which the party will not tolerate”, Reform UK said.
It comes after a damaging video leak showing the Reform UK leader of Kent County Council (KCC) Linden Kemkaran swearing and shouting during a council meeting.
Five Reform UK councillors booted out of party. BBC
Reform UK expels three more Kent county councillors for ‘dishonest and deceptive’ behaviour
Reform UK has expelled another three county councillors from the party this afternoon alleging “a pattern of dishonest and deceptive behaviour”.
The dismissals of Cllrs Brian Black, Paul Thomas and Oliver Bradshaw brings to five the number of expulsions from the Kent County Council group in the past four days.
Reform UK expels three more Kent county councillors for ‘dishonest and deceptive’ behaviour, Kent Online
Reform UK suspends four Kent councillors after leaked video
Party accuses council members of bringing Reform ‘into disrepute’ as film of private meeting shows fractious dispute
Reform UK has suspended four of its Kent councillors after a video was leaked of the council’s leader telling her colleagues to “suck it up”.
Reform UK suspends four Kent councillors after leaked video, ft.com
Reform UK councillor denies election crime
Andy Osborn, 74, who is a member of Cambridgeshire County Council, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday charged with making or publishing a false statement before or during an election in relation to the candidate’s personal character or conduct, under the Representation of the People Act 1983.
Reform UK councillor denies election crime, BBC
- Note: Andy Osborn recently made headlines for another reason
Reform UK councillor expelled from party
A Reform UK councillor who was elected to Devon County Council in May has been expelled from the party.
Reform UK said it had expelled Ed Hill for publishing a letter about free school meals in the name of all Reform Devon councillors without their consent.
Reform UK councillor expelled from party, BBC
Reform UK expels Devon councillor who ‘crossed the line’
Reform UK has expelled one of its own Devon councillors from the party over a row about a letter being sent without consent.
Devon County councillor Ed Hill, (Pinhoe & Mincinglake), has been kicked out over claims by the party that he distributed a letter on free school meals to MPs and the media purportedly signed by 17 Reform councillors.
Reform UK expels Devon councillor who ‘crossed the line’, Devon Live
Reform UK loosens vetting rules despite repeated candidate scandals
Inviting failed candidates to try again under lax rules suggests that they are either struggling to recruit candidates, or something more sinister.
Reform UK has told its members in Kent it will relax vetting rules, and is ‘strongly’ encouraging prospective candidates who previously failed vetting to reapply.
[…]
The move to water down the party’s vetting process comes despite ongoing candidate scandals. Daniel Taylor, a Reform councillor in Thanet, was recently charged with threatening to kill his wife. Reform withdrew the whip after he was charged.
Reform UK loosens vetting rules despite repeated candidate scandals, leftfootforward.org
Reform UK to introduce less stringent ‘common sense’ vetting system for candidates
Party says those who previously failed vetting are ‘strongly encouraged’ to reapply under new criteria
Reform UK has told its members it is introducing a less stringent “common sense” vetting system for would-be candidates after complaints the previous checks were too strict, despite a recent series of controversies linked to the party.
Reform UK to introduce less stringent ‘common sense’ vetting system for candidates, The Guardian
Suspended Reform UK Kent county councillor Daniel Taylor appears in court accused of threats to kill wife
A councillor suspended by Reform UK has appeared in court accused of making threats to kill his wife.
Daniel Taylor, who now stands as an independent on Kent County Council, had the party whip withdrawn last month after being arrested on June 1.
Suspended Reform UK Kent county councillor Daniel Taylor appears in court accused of threats to kill wife, kentonline.co.uk
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
Police officer dismissed over basketball row now running as Reform UK candidate in Mendip by-election
A FORMER police officer who was dismissed after a “misuse of his position” in a row over a basketball is now standing as a Reform UK candidate in a council by-election.
Stuart Ball was dismissed from Avon and Somerset Police in 2019 after a “ridiculous and disproportionate spat” with Sports Direct staff over a basketball which, a misconduct panel heard, culminated in him making criminal allegations against the store’s manager.
Mr Ball insisted he had not been treated fairly and the issue had been “blown out of proportion.”
Now he is hoping to be elected as the first Reform UK councillor on Bath and North East Somerset Council in the by-election for the Mendip ward on July 3.
Police officer dismissed over basketball row now running as Reform UK candidate in Mendip by-election, www.mnrjournal.co.uk
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
Reform councillors reported to police by colleague
Infighting in the Reform UK party in Devon has seen two county councillors and an election agent reported to police by a colleague over election expenses.
Neil Stevens and his brother Tony were elected for Reform in May and documents seen by the BBC allege Neil Stevens spent about £170 more than the campaign spending limit.
This was reported to police by Ed Hill, who was also elected for Reform in May and was the chairman of the Exeter branch but was removed from the post for what the party says was bringing it “into disrepute”.
Reform councillors reported to police by colleague, BBC
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
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
Reform councillor, Barry Martin, considers quitting because being a councillor is “dull and boring”
New Leicestershire Reform councillor was fired from police force
New Leicestershire Reform councillor was fired from police force
His actions were branded ‘deliberate’ and ‘for personal advantage’
A newly elected Leicestershire councillor was fired from his previous job with Leicestershire Police. Andrew Hamilton-Gray, one of the new county councillors for Loughborough, was sacked by the force in January 2024 following a misconduct hearing.
New Leicestershire Reform councillor was fired from police force, leicestermercury.co.uk
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
Reform councillor quits two weeks after election
Reform councillor quits two weeks after election
A new Staffordshire County councillor has stepped down, just two weeks after being elected.
Wayne Titley won the Eccleshall and Gnosall division for Reform UK, beating the Conservative Jeremy Pert by just 27 votes.
However, he attracted criticism for a post on his Facebook account in March that called on the navy to intercept small boats attempting to reach Britain and use a “volley of gun fire aimed at sinking them”.
Reform councillor quits two weeks after election, 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 councillor resigns one week after election
A Reform UK councillor elected just over a week ago has resigned after failing to declare that he worked for the council.
Andrew Kilburn will no longer take up his role as a Durham county councillor for Benfieldside.
He was elected with 1,007 votes alongside fellow Reform candidate Sandra Grindle as the party gained both seats in the Benfieldside ward – one from Labour and one from an independent.
Reform councillor resigns one week after election, BBC
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
‘Regret’ as Newark Reform councillor steps down after only one week
Desmond Clarke said he is ‘unable to deliver’ what people need
A Nottinghamshire Reform councillor has stepped down only a week after he was elected as he felt he was ‘unable to deliver’ what people need. Desmond Clarke won his seat for Newark West on Nottinghamshire County Council only one week ago in the May 1 elections.
‘Regret’ as Newark Reform councillor steps down after only one week, nottinghampost.com
New Warwickshire councillor sorry after discovering he can’t represent Reform UK
A new Warwickshire county councillor has apologised for a “mistake” that means he will be unable to serve under the Reform UK banner for now.
Councillor Luke Shingler swept to a comfortable victory in Nuneaton’s Galley Common ward having been promoted as the Reform candidate until five days before the ballot.
He took to social media on the Saturday before the polls to tell residents he was not allowed to “run under a political organisation, party or movement due to my employment” but that it was too late to change ballot papers that linked him to Reform.
New Warwickshire councillor sorry after discovering he can’t represent Reform UK, warwickshireworld.com
Reform UK is a ‘cult’, says suspended councillor
A newly elected councillor who quit Reform UK after she was suspended over a social media post has described it as a “cult”, and accused the party’s leader Nigel Farage of treating its members with contempt.
Donna Edmunds, who was elected for Hodnet Ward in Shropshire, was suspended following a post on X about her plans to defect from the party after the local elections.
“I thought I was joining a party. It turned out I had joined a cult,” Edmunds said in a statement.
Reform UK is a ‘cult’, says suspended councillor, BBC
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
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