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Reform UK is nothing if not consistent – with the party’s candidates consistently engaging in racist, xenophobic or conspiratorial rhetoric online and sharing content from far-right figures.
So, for the second time this week, Byline Times has found more examples of party members doing their best to make their former leader, and current chairman, Richard Tice’s comments about Reform UK not being a “far-right party” seem questionable.
Days after Ian Gribbin, the party’s candidate in Bexhill and Battle, apologised after claiming the UK would be “far better” if it had “taken Hitler up on his offer of neutrality” instead of fighting the Nazis in World War Two (as well as saying women were the “sponging gender”, should be “deprived of health care”, and praising Vladimir Putin) two more candidates have been caught sharing and engaging with content from, or about, far-right influencers like Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, better known as Tommy Robinson, and Katie Hopkins.
More Reform UK Candidates Caught Sharing Conspiracy Theories, Racist Memes and Marxist Conservatism
One Reform candidate defended himself by suggesting that his social profile makes clear that his retweets and likes “are not endorsements”
Sandra Daniells, the owner of a care home and Reform‘s candidate in Bognor Regis and Littlehampton retweeted Robinson sharing a photo of himself and Hopkins in April, and also replied with the word “hope” to a post from February asking, “what’s the first thing that comes to mind when you see this?” over photos of the former English Defence League leader, Hopkins, Nigel Farage, Lee Anderson and Suella Braverman.
In February, Daniells replied to a post from Paul Golding, the leader of the far-right Britain First party accusing Reform UK of being an establishment party for arguing in favour of “net zero” immigration rather than 0 total immigration. Daniells replied, “I don’t agree, I was a Tory for years and gave up with them and joined Reform because their policies broadly reflect my views, and no other parties do. We must give them a chance before its too late”.
The Times revealed on Tuesday that 41 of Reform UK’s candidates are Facebook friends with Garry Raikes, leader of the New British Union, a party attempting a 21st century revival of the British Union of Fascists. That number includes Daniells.
Raikes’ Facebook cover photo is a picture of Oswald Mosely with the caption, “Forward with Fascism. Support for Mosely is support for King and country”.
Byline Times needs your help to investigate disinformation and electoral exclusion as we head towards the 2024 General Election.
We’re asking for your help to keep track of dodgy campaigning this election, so if you spot anything that bears investigation, please email us at votewatch24@bylinetimes.com.
Daniells has also written Islamophobic posts or posts that espouse white identity politics. Replying to a tweet from Rory Stewart, who argued that Lee Anderson saying, “London is in the grip of Islamists” was “deluded” and an “awful obsession”, Daniells asked, “Is it Rory? It’s beginning to feel that way. Who will stand up to them or stand up for the white Christian folks.”
Daniells also replied to a February news story about former Scottish first Minister Humza Yousaf arguing that Islamophobia in the UK is getting worse with the question “has he asked himself why that might be I wonder? 😂”
X, formerly known as Twitter, now hides the likes tab, however, screenshots from the account ReformUKExposed show that Daniells liked a tweet telling someone to “get your hijab on… shut your mouth and go live in Palestine. Let’s see how happy you are there being sexually assaulted… disrespected. No voice. Yes? Now you want to be in the UK shouting your mouth off? Seriously deport this to her ‘Muslim’ home.” Her likes also included a photo of black people on a dingy captioned with the phrase “we are taking over the UK under your very noses and there’s nothing being done about it”.
Reform Candidate Andrew Raw Suspended by Party Over ‘Extreme Racism and Hateful’ Social Media Posts
Reform UK has had to drop at least 11 candidates and hasn’t stopped making headlines since Lee Anderson joined the party in March
Daniells told Byline Times: “All candid