Reform

Uncovered

Reform UK Tells Prospective Candidates Who Previously Failed Vetting Procedures to Re-apply Under New ‘Common Sense’ Rules

Individuals previously blocked from standing for Nigel Farage’s party have been told to try again in East Thanet – under new standards prioritising ‘freedom of expression’. Josiah Mortimer reports

Reform UK-led Durham County Council has been accused of dodging democratic accountability after removing the Pride flag supporting LGBT+ rights and that of Ukraine from council buildings without any formal decision-making process or paper trail.

Prospective Reform UK candidates in one of the party’s new electoral strongholds, who were previously blocked by its internal vetting processes, have been told to re-apply under what are described as a new set of “common sense” standards.

A post on 4 July by Reform’s official East Thanet Facebook page said that it would be adopting a new set of vetting standards as of 7 July, which would be “more proportionate” and give more weight to “individual freedom of expression”.