Labour has called on Nigel Farage to sack two more Reform UK local election candidates accused of offensive social media posts, saying the party's vetting procedures are 'clearly not fit for purpose'. The candidates, Alan Stay on the Isle of Wight and Caroline Panetta in Bexley, are among a series of controversies ahead of the 7 May local elections in England.
Alan Stay, a Reform candidate for the Isle of Wight, reportedly shared racist and sexist Facebook posts, including one using an explicitly racist epithet. Caroline Panetta, standing in Bexley, retweeted anti-Islam comments and claimed Islam is 'the religion of rape, incest and paedophilia'. She also retweeted posts questioning the murder conviction of George Floyd.
Anna Turley, Labour party chair, said: 'What will it take for Nigel Farage to finally act? Farage must condemn these vile remarks, sack them as Reform candidates and kick them out of his party without delay.'
Separately, Restore Britain, the party founded by former Reform MP Rupert Lowe, has accepted a donation from Miles Routledge, who has called for 'another Hitler' to come to power. Routledge, who donated £2,500 to join the party's Cromwell Club, also threatened to imprison journalists when he gains power.
