The Labour Party has accused Reform UK’s vetting process of being “clearly not fit for purpose” after two more candidates in May’s local elections were linked to offensive or potentially racist social media content.
Reform UK has faced a series of controversies involving several candidates ahead of the 7 May local elections in England, as well as those standing for the Scottish and Welsh parliaments, despite Nigel Farage stating that the party’s vetting procedures had significantly improved.
A Reform candidate in the Isle of Wight, Alan Stay, shared posts on Facebook containing racist and sexist material. This included repeated use of a racist slur, which he defended as harmless in response to a report about a DJ losing their job for playing a track containing the term.
Another candidate, Caroline Panetta, standing in Bexley, reposted content containing anti-Islam remarks, including claims that Sadiq Khan intended to turn London into “Londonstan” where women would be unsafe.
In a separate post, she used derogatory language about Islam. She also shared content about George Floyd, who was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis in 2020, questioning the conviction and describing him as a criminal.
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Commenting on the issue, Labour chair Anna Turley said: “What will it take for Nigel Farage to finally act? Farage has repeatedly boasted about Reform’s vetting procedures, but it is still clearly not fit for purpose. Farage must condemn these vile remarks, sack them as Reform candidates and kick them out of his party without delay.”
Meanwhile, it emerged that Restore Britain, founded by Rupert Lowe after leaving Reform UK, had accepted a donation from an individual who had publicly called on social media for “another Hitler” to come to power.
Lowe left Reform following a dispute with Farage. His new party has taken a hard-right position, including calls for large-scale deportations, and recent polling suggests it has around 4% national support.
The party has also attracted support from far-right activists, some of whom Lowe has not publicly distanced himself from.
One supporter, Miles Routledge, known online as “Lord Miles,” said he joined a donor group linked to the party after making a £2,500 contribution.
Routledge has previously expressed extremist views online. In one post last July, he said he hoped there would be “another Hitler” in the future.
When asked about his comments, Routledge said he stood by them and added that he would imprison journalists if he gained power.
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