Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party has seen controversy arise as campaign group Hope Not Hate accuses the party of fielding local election candidates with extremist views. Despite Farage’s claims of an improved vetting process, Hope Not Hate alleges that Reform UK candidates have “posted hate, pushed far-right conspiracies and praised extremists.” This comes as the party has recruited over 1,600 candidates for the upcoming English council elections on 1 May.
During a campaign event in Dover, Farage asserted that Reform UK had put in place a vetting system that was superior to other parties for this year’s elections. He highlighted that many candidate applications for the county council elections were rejected, citing reasons such as the repeated use of inappropriate language on social media. However, Hope Not Hate’s findings appear to contradict Farage’s assertions of a rigorous vetting process within Reform UK.
Recent revelations by Hope Not Hate have brought to light social media posts from several current Reform UK candidates that promote hateful narratives and far-right ideologies. Examples include posts advocating for the removal of Islam from the world through nuclear means and derogatory comments about Muslim populations in Bradford. The party has yet to respond to these accusations, and some candidates have either hidden or deleted the offensive posts.
Despite Reform UK’s efforts to distance itself from extremism, candidates such as Steven Biggs, Howard Rimmer, and Trevor Bridgwood have been linked to controversial social media posts. From endorsing anti-Islam political parties to promoting conspiracy theories, these candidates have faced scrutiny over their online behavior. The party’s vetting process, which was reportedly stricter this year, seems to have overlooked some concerning content posted by its candidates
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