Reform UK Investigates Croydon Candidate Over Covid Conspiracy Paper
Reform UK has announced it is looking into concerns regarding one of its local election candidates in Croydon, following revelations that a paper he appears to have authored describes the Covid-19 pandemic as a staged event. The candidate, David Booth, is standing as a councillor in the Kenley ward under the Reform UK banner, with voting scheduled for May 7.
Controversial Paper Details
According to reports from the Byline Times, Mr. Booth, a retired researcher specializing in development and politics, authored an article published in the Journal of 9/11 Studies in September last year. In the paper, the author wrote: It is increasingly clear that the so-called Covid-19 pandemic was a staged event, designed to enable profound changes desired by powerful forces at the expense of majority populations around the world.
The paper, titled Covid-19 as a Structural Deep Event: Cutting to the Chase on Perpetrators and Motives, relies heavily on non-peer-reviewed sources. Its bibliography includes:
- Dozens of blog posts
- Substack articles
- Fringe advocacy material
With 55 citations from unverified online sources, the author alleges that a Global Biodefence Public-Private Partnership involving Western military and intelligence agencies staged the pandemic. The paper also suggests the crisis may have been fabricated through manipulated imagery, falsified statistics, or deliberate pathogen seeding.
Reactions and Calls for Action
A spokesperson for Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice condemned the claims as absolutely shocking. They stated: These dangerous and offensive conspiracy theories are an insult to all of us who lost loved ones to Covid-19 and witnessed its deadly impact first-hand. The group called on Reform UK to take immediate action, urging the party to remove Mr. Booth as a candidate if he is confirmed as the author and to unequivocally reject these views.
Reform UK has not yet responded to demands for deselection, telling the Local Democracy Reporting Service only that it is looking into the allegation. The party has faced mounting pressure to address the issue ahead of the local elections.
Candidate Background and Campaign
David Booth is one of two Reform candidates running in the Kenley ward, which is currently represented by two Conservative councillors. In his candidacy announcement on Reform Croydon's website, Mr. Booth expressed frustration, saying: I am a Ward Champion for Reform in Kenley because I am fed up. He added: We badly need to be governed by people who care about the country's future. At the very least, that means keeping us safe, defending our borders, protecting our institutions and respecting our history.
Mr. Booth, who has lived in Purley for 25 years, noted that he spends much of his leisure time in Kenley. The Local Democracy Reporting Service attempted to contact him for comment but received no reply.
This incident highlights ongoing debates about misinformation and candidate vetting in political campaigns, particularly in the context of public health crises. As the investigation unfolds, voters and political observers will be watching closely to see how Reform UK handles this sensitive matter.
