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Thursday, 23 April 2026
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United Kingdom·Elections·Democracy

Reform UK faces fresh candidate vetting controversy ahead of local elections

Saturday, 18 April 2026, 18:05 · 1 min read

Reform UK is under renewed pressure over its candidate screening process after two more local election hopefuls were found to have posted offensive content on social media. Alan Stay, standing in the Isle of Wight, shared explicitly racist and sexist Facebook posts, while Caroline Panetta, a candidate in the London borough of Bexley, retweeted anti-Islam content and made inflammatory remarks about Sadiq Khan and George Floyd. Labour party chair Anna Turley called Reform's vetting procedures "clearly not fit for purpose" and demanded leader Nigel Farage sack both candidates immediately. Separately, Restore Britain — the hard-right party founded by former Reform MP Rupert Lowe — was found to have accepted a donation from an activist who publicly posted his desire for "another Hitler" to come to power, adding further scrutiny to the fringes of Britain's populist right ahead of the 7 May English local elections.

Sources
The GuardianTwo more Reform local election candidates accused of offensive posts ↗︎
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