A recent report commissioned by the Labour Party purports to reveal the ‘shocking’ views of a number of candidates standing for The Reform Party in the upcoming local elections.
The dossier, titled ‘Reform Revealed: The People Behind Farage’ considered the social media accounts and public statements of a number of Reform candidates seeking election on 7 May.
What the dossier revealed was unquestionable examples of misogyny, racism and Islamophobia, as well as the amplifying of a range of conspiracy theories by Reform candidates all across the country.
Reform in the North West
Of those Reform candidates highlighted, 10 are seeking election in the North West, including those who have used racial slurs online and pushed dangerous and discredited conspiracy theories.
Amongst them were David McCullough (Manchester City Council), Mark Ormsby (Birkdale, Sefton) and Nicholas Guy Robinson (Kew, Sefton)who all shared Islamophobic content and praised far-right activist and convict Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (Tommy Robinson).
Of all the examples of racism, perhaps the most shocking wasthat of Derek Bullock. Bullock, who is a candidate for Bolton Council, was previously expelled from the Conservative Party for using a racial slur to call for people of Pakistani heritage to be shot.
Conspiracy theorists
As well as those sharing and producing racist content, the report also revealed a number of candidates in the North West using their social media presence to push conspiracy theories. These include Elizabeth Clark (Bury Council) who alleged that Covid vaccines were killing children and asked if “Protecting granny (was) worth it?”
Also revealed was Trevor Jones (Bolton North East) who argued that the Covid-19 pandemic had been “planned” and shared conspiracy theories relating to 5G internet. Perhaps most disturbing of all was Jay Cooper (Sefton Council) who repeatedly shared social media posts which claimed that the 9/11 terrorist atrocities were fabricated.
Communities Secretary, Steve Reed MP, suggested that the report should sound the alarm on the dangerous and extreme views held by swathes of Reform’s local election candidates and described them as “Reform’s rogues’ gallery of wrong’uns” and argued they are “not fit for public office.”
Ongoing questions for Reform
It hasn’t only been those standing for election as Reform candidates that have attracted controversy. A number of current Reform councillors have also been revealed to have voiced offensive views. In Reform-run Lancashire County Council, police had to meet with councillors to discuss abuse posted online by Reform Councillors, and in November last year Reform councillor, Tom Pickup, was suspended for participating in a WhatsApp group where members allegedly called for a “mass Islam genocide.”
Steve Reed MP added, “The idea that Nigel Farage thinks these candidates pushing vile racism, misogyny and conspiracy theories are suitable, is frankly staggering. It’s an insult to the public that Farage put these people forwards to stand in the first place, but it’s a dereliction of duty that he hasn’t condemned them nor pulled his support for them.”
Local elections take place across the country on 7 May and if opinion polls are to be believed Reform looks set to make major gains.
