One Nation Removes Candidate Following Reports of UK Arrest Warrant
One Nation has swiftly removed Aoi Baxter as its candidate for the state seat of Adelaide after Australian media outlets reported the existence of a warrant for his arrest in the United Kingdom. The right-wing political party announced the decision on the eve of the South Australian state election, scheduled for Saturday.
Allegations and Party Response
According to reports from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Baxter, who was reportedly previously known as Trent Baxter, allegedly failed to appear at a court hearing in the UK. A UK court confirmed to the ABC that an arrest warrant had been issued for a man named Trent Baxter. The ABC further reported that the former candidate was allegedly charged in September 2023 with sexually touching a woman without consent.
In a statement provided to media on Friday, One Nation stated that Baxter had not disclosed the warrant for his arrest to the party. "Mr. Baxter is no longer a One Nation candidate as a result of this news," the party declared. One Nation emphasized that it conducts nationwide police checks on all candidates and claimed no issues were discovered during Baxter's vetting process. The party has pledged to cooperate fully with law enforcement and noted it has been unable to contact Baxter.
Candidate Background and Fallout
Before his profile was scrubbed from the One Nation website, Baxter was described as bringing a blend of real-world experience to politics. His background included time in the Australian Defence Force, involvement in small business operations, and volunteer work with organizations such as Rotary, Disaster Relief Australia, and the Movember campaign. His social media and LinkedIn profiles listed him as a "creative director" for Aoi Studio. Baxter had made headlines recently as a late addition to One Nation's ticket, having only moved to North Adelaide in mid-2025.
The revelations emerge at a critical juncture for One Nation, which has experienced a groundswell of popularity in South Australia. The Liberal Party has announced it will direct its preferences to One Nation, despite the minor party opting to run open tickets on their how-to-vote cards. The timing of this scandal could potentially impact voter perceptions and election dynamics.
Baxter's candidate page on the One Nation website has been replaced with a generic error message, reading, "Maybe Albo broke the internet (again), or maybe the page you were looking for was just not found on our amazing new website." Attempts to contact Baxter for comment have been unsuccessful.
