Nigel Farage’s big claim that Reform UK was putting its candidates through the toughest vetting process of any political party has taken a serious knock — and fast. Just weeks before the crucial local elections in May, the party has had to suspend not one, but two of its candidates over some seriously disturbing social media activity.
Only last month, Farage was proudly telling GB News, “We’ve been vetting, I bet, to a standard that no other party has ever done before for local council elections.” But that confidence has now come crashing down after a pair of back-to-back scandals surfaced over the weekend.
First, there was Steven Hartley, a candidate for Oxfordshire, who turned out to be a vocal defender of Jimmy Savile. Yes, that Jimmy Savile. In posts from 2022, Hartley called the disgraced paedophile DJ an “innocent man,” a “working class hero,” and even referred to him as a “role model.”
When questioned about the posts, Hartley didn’t seem all that fazed. Speaking to the BBC, he admitted, “I may have forgotten to tell them about my Twitter [X] account, which I use sporadically when I just want to vent.” Despite being dropped by Reform UK, he doubled down, telling the Oxford Mail: “I stand by my claims that Jimmy Savile was a working-class hero. These allegations were never proven, and really, how it came out after his death was the worst thing.”
And just as the dust was settling on that controversy, another candidate, Miriam Thomas from Buckinghamshire, was also suspended — this time after the Sunday Mirror uncovered a string of anti-Islam posts on her Facebook account, told Daily Mirror.
Among the posts were claims that Islam is a “false religion,” along with conspiracy-laced images implying Muslims were trying to “take control” of the UK and enforce sharia law. One particularly grim image even showed Islam depicted as a snake devouring someone who was feeding it.
After being alerted to the content, Reform UK wasted no time in distancing itself. A spokesperson told the Sunday Mirror: “Ms Thomas has been suspended as a member and is now not a Reform UK candidate. We have subsequently withdrawn all support for her candidacy.”
It’s not exactly the look Reform UK was hoping for as they try to build on a recent polling bounce and prove they’re more than just a protest vote. The party had hoped a strong local election showing would cement its growing relevance, but these candidate controversies are now casting serious doubt on the very vetting process Farage was bragging about.
With the May elections fast approaching, Reform UK has some damage control to do — and quickly — if it wants to be taken seriously as a rising political force.
