Reform UK's candidate for the London mayoral election has faced scrutiny after it emerged that two companies linked to her were struck off the official register for failing to file required documents.
Companies Dissolved After Administrative Lapses
Laila Cunningham, unveiled as the party's candidate for the 2028 election at a press conference with Nigel Farage this week, was involved with two dissolved firms. According to Companies House records, one company which lists the 48-year-old Westminster City councillor as both a shareholder and director, Kitchin Table Ltd., was dissolved in August 2024.
The company, which operated an app for women's co-working sessions in homes, was jointly owned and directed by Cunningham and her husband, Michael. A notice for compulsory strike-off was issued in June 2024.
A second company, MGIC Ltd, where Ms Cunningham served as a director and her husband held the majority of shares, was struck off in August 2023. This action proceeded a year after a previous strike-off attempt was discontinued.
Candidate Defends Record, Cites Common Practice
Speaking to Times Radio on Friday, the former criminal prosecutor insisted she had not broken company law. "I didn't break companies' law. Like many companies, and I don't really like the insinuation that it was a crime in any way," she stated.
Ms Cunningham argued that the strike-offs were a routine administrative outcome for dormant companies. "I tried out different business ideas. Some became inactive. And that happens to thousands... Companies House routinely strikes off inactive or non-filing companies. It's a paperwork sanction," she explained, attributing the lack of success partly to the impact of Covid-19.
She emphasised that there was "never any wrongdoing" and that she had subsequently passed all Crown Prosecution Service vetting checks.
Legal Context and Party Response
While failing to file company accounts is a criminal offence under UK law, prosecution is rare, with Companies House more commonly dissolving non-compliant entities. Official data shows that 726,813 companies were dissolved in the fiscal year from April 2024 to March 2025.
A spokesman for Reform UK supported their candidate's position, stating: "Like many entrepreneurs, Laila has set up small companies over the years to test new business ideas. Some became inactive over time, resulting in a lapse of administration... There was never any wrongdoing on Laila's part."
The councillor, who has vowed an "all out war" on crime in the capital to challenge the current Mayor, Sadiq Khan, now faces questions about her business background as the political contest begins to take shape.
