“We paid a large sum of money to a well-known vetting company, and they didn’t do the work."
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has blamed a vetting company for his party’s failure to prevent candidates from standing who hold disgraceful views, including over their links to a British fascist leader.
In recent weeks, with the general election fast approaching, Reform UK’s candidates have come under scrutiny and it’s been revealed that nearly one in ten of the party’s candidates have links to a fascist leader while one candidate claimed that the UK should have remained neutral in the fight against the Nazis.
Farage has blamed a ‘vetting company’, which he didn’t name, for the party’s pick of candidates.
He told LBC Radio: “Have we had trouble with one or two candidates? Yes, we have.
“We paid a large sum of money to a well-known vetting company, and they didn’t do the work.
“We have been stitched up politically, and that’s given us problems. And I accept that and I’m sorry for that.”
It was revealed last week that nearly one in 10 candidates standing for Reform in England are Facebook “friends” with British fascist leader Gary Raikes.
Raikes, a former organiser for the British National Party, is the leader of the New British Union which reflects the views of Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists.
It’s also been revealed that the party’s candidate in Bexhill and Battle posted in a blog that the country would be “far better” if it had “taken Hitler up on his offer of neutrality” instead of fighting the Nazis in World War Two.
The BBC reported that Ian Gribbin had made the posts in 2022. He also wrote online that women were the “sponging gender” and should be “deprived of health care”.
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
To reach hundreds of thousands of new readers we need to grow our donor base substantially.
That's why in 2024, we are seeking to generate 150 additional regular donors to support Left Foot Forward's work.
We still need another 117 people to donate to hit the target. You can help. Donate today.