Labour has called on Nigel Farage to sack two more Reform UK candidates accused of making offensive or potentially racist social media posts, stating that the party's vetting procedures are 'clearly not fit for purpose'. The candidates are standing in May's local elections in England.
Alan Stay, a Reform candidate on the Isle of Wight, shared Facebook posts containing racist and sexist messages, including one that repeatedly used an explicitly racist epithet. Caroline Panetta, standing in Bexley, retweeted anti-Islam comments and posted that Islam is 'the religion of rape, incest and paedophilia'. She also shared posts questioning the murder conviction of George Floyd's killer.
Labour party chair Anna Turley 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 set up by former Reform MP Rupert Lowe, accepted a donation from Miles Routledge, who has publicly called for 'another Hitler' to come to power. Routledge, a far-right activist, confirmed his views and threatened to imprison journalists.
