He has admitted to stealing more than £28,000 from a local youth and community centre
Reform UK continues to demonstrate that its candidate vetting process is deeply flawed. This is unsurprising, given that the party appointed Jack Aaron, who previously praised Hitler and Assad, as Reform’s head of vetting.
In the latest vetting failure, a Reform UK candidate for the Lincolnshire county council elections in May has stepped down after pleading guilty to stealing from a charity.
Reform UK’s announced Dan Turner as their candidate for Louth North just last month.
Turner, a former manager at the Meridale Youth and Community Centre in Lincolnshire, admitted to fraud by false representation and abuse of position at Boston Magistrates’ Court on Monday.
The youth and community centre say that Turner defrauded the charity of more than £28,600.
According to the BBC, Reform UK has suspended Turner’s party membership. Turner is due to be sentenced at Lincoln Crown Court at a later date.
Not only did Reform fail to vet Turner, but he also appears to have links with former Tory and Reform mayoral candidate for Greater Lincolnshire, Dame Andrea Jenkyns.
In December 2024, Turner shared a Facebook post showing him with Jenkyns outside a restaurant in Louth.
The caption reads: “Took Andrea Jenkyns to lunch today”. In another photo shared on X, Turner said he has known Jenkyns for around 14 years. He described her decision to join Reform UK in November 2024 as “an absolutely brilliant move!”.
Meridale Youth and Community Centre issued a statement which says they dismissed Turner in May 2022 for “gross negligence and misconduct” over misuse of their IT systems.
Trustees of the charity said that Turner’s actions had “significantly deprived” the organisation of funds.
This financial loss has also “delayed or curtailed projects and activities of direct benefit to the community of Sutton-on-Sea, Trusthorpe and Mablethorpe which could otherwise have been undertaken.”
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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