Labour has criticized Reform UK’s candidate vetting process as inadequate following accusations against two more individuals running in the upcoming local elections for posting offensive or potentially racist content online. Separately, Restore Britain, founded by MP Rupert Lowe after departing from Reform, reportedly received a donation from an individual who publicly advocated for a figure like Hitler to rise to power. Reform UK has encountered multiple issues with its candidates for the English local elections on May 7, as well as those for the Scottish and Welsh assemblies, despite leader Nigel Farage’s claims of enhanced screening. Screenshots from Alan Stay, a Reform candidate on the Isle of Wight, reveal shares of racist and sexist material, including one defending a highly derogatory racial term as harmless, in reaction to a story about a DJ fired for playing a song containing it. Caroline Panetta, contesting in Bexley, outer London, shared anti-Islamic statements, such as one alleging that London Mayor Sadiq Khan aims to transform the city into a place unsafe for women. She also posted that Islam promotes rape, incest, and pedophilia. Additional shares questioned the justice in the conviction for George Floyd’s 2020 killing by police in Minneapolis, labeling him a criminal. Labour chair Anna Turley urged Farage to denounce the comments, remove the candidates, and expel them from the party, highlighting flaws in the vetting system. Reform was approached for a response. Lowe exited Reform amid a dispute with Farage last year. His new hard-right party advocates deporting millions from the UK and polls at around 4% nationally. It has drawn backing from far-right figures, which Lowe has not rejected. Donor Miles Routledge, tweeting as Lord Miles, joined the party’s Cromwell Club with a £2,500 contribution. He has expressed extreme views, recently criticizing another supporter as too moderate for deportation plans and suggesting superior alternatives. Last July, he posted hope for a Hitler-like leader by 2039. When questioned, he affirmed his statement and threatened to jail journalists upon gaining power.
