Yet more evidence that bigotry and hatred is widespread and systemic within Reform, rather than just a ‘few bad apples’
Yet another Reform candidate has been exposed for having hateful and Islamophobic views, with Nigel Farage under growing pressure to sack him.
Farage had promised to ‘beef up’ his party’s vetting processes and yet despite this, Reform candidates continue to be exposed for having hateful views, including making Islamophobic and racist comments, ahead of the local elections next month.
In the latest incident, HuffPost UK has uncovered several concerning social media posts from three of Reform’s upcoming candidates.
It states: “Ricky Hodges, who is standing for Reform in Hastings, Tressell, posted a Family Guy meme in October on Facebook, joking about shooting outside No.10.
“He also claimed “Islam is a cancer” in a Facebook post from July 2025.”
He wrote: “We have let sharia law into our communities, we have given Muslims priority over our own people whilst they milk our benefits system to find there [sic] mosques! We have an open border with 1000s of Islamic extremists coming in un challenged!”
He then went on to add a number of hashtags, writing:”#wakeup #youhaveforgot #islamisacancer.” Hodges also attended a rally organised by far-right leader Tommy Robinson in London last year.
In a separate incident, Jonathan James Fox who is Reform’s candidate in Sandwell, Bristnall, posted an image of bacon on Facebook in 2019, along with the caption: “People who eat bacon are less likely to blow themselves up.”
And Dave McCullough – who is standing for Reform in Sharston, Manchester – posted an image on Facebook in 2018 of a Muslim woman with the caption: “You think I’m a terrorist but I identify as a firework.”
Yet more evidence that bigotry and hatred is widespread and systemic within Reform, rather than just a ‘few bad apples’. Clearly Nigel Farage doesn’t mind having people with such disgraceful views as candidates.
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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