Labour Intensifies Pressure on Farage Over Reform Candidate Controversies
Labour has issued a forceful demand for Nigel Farage to publicly condemn what it describes as "vile remarks" made by two Reform UK local election candidates, while simultaneously calling for their immediate dismissal from the party. This development comes amid growing scrutiny of Reform's candidate vetting processes, which Labour asserts are "clearly not fit for purpose."
Offensive Social Media Posts Surface
The controversy centers on two individuals standing in upcoming local elections. Alan Stay, a Reform candidate on the Isle of Wight, shared Facebook posts containing explicitly racist and sexist language. In one instance, he argued that a notoriously racist epithet was not a harmful word, a comment made in response to a news story about a DJ losing their job for playing a record featuring that term.
Meanwhile, Caroline Panetta, a candidate in the outer London borough of Bexley, retweeted anti-Islam comments, including one suggesting Mayor Sadiq Khan aims to transform London into "Londonstan," where women would be unsafe. In a separate post, she made inflammatory claims about Islam. Her retweets also included comments about George Floyd, characterizing his murderer's conviction as a miscarriage of justice and labeling Floyd a criminal.
Labour's Stern Rebuke
Anna Turley, the Labour party chair, delivered a sharp critique: "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."
This incident is part of a broader pattern of controversies surrounding Reform candidates standing in the 7 May local elections across England, as well as for the Scottish and Welsh parliaments. These issues persist despite Farage's previous assertions that the party had significantly improved its vetting standards.
Connection to Hard-Right Splinter Group
In a related development, it has emerged that Restore Britain—a party established by MP Rupert Lowe after his departure from Reform following a bitter dispute with Farage—appears to have accepted a donation from an individual who has publicly called for "another Hitler" to come to power. Restore Britain explicitly identifies as hard-right, advocating for the deportation of millions from the UK and currently polling at approximately 4% national support.
The donor in question, activist Miles Routledge (who tweets as Lord Miles), confirmed his extremist views when contacted by the Guardian, stating about his Hitler comment: "That's exactly what I said and meant, and I was likely holding back." He further threatened to imprison journalists. The party has attracted support from openly racist and far-right activists, whom Lowe has declined to disown.
Reform UK was contacted for comment regarding the candidate allegations but has not yet responded. The situation highlights ongoing tensions within and around right-wing political movements in the UK as election day approaches.
