A 15-year-old schoolboy from Whitby, North Yorkshire, has been revealed as the source of a scoop that predicted the defection of Conservative MP Andrew Rosindell to Reform UK. Charlie Simpson, who runs the X account @GBpolitcs, tweeted the exclusive on Saturday evening, hours before Rosindell announced his move. The teenager’s claim was initially met with scepticism, but Rosindell’s subsequent confirmation thrust Simpson into the spotlight.
Simpson is part of a new generation of self-styled ‘independent journalists’ with links to the far right. He has spoken at a rally organised by Tommy Robinson and previously served on the UK Youth Parliament for Ashfield. His account, which has 76,000 followers, bills itself as the “True Home of UK Political News” and has been boosted by retweets from Elon Musk. Simpson describes his agenda as “to give an alternative to the mainstream media, which is to push out rightwing news”.
Simpson’s reporting remains contested. Reform sources insist no conversation was taking place between Nigel Farage and Rosindell when the tweet appeared, suggesting instead that information was fed to Simpson to act as a catalyst for the defection. Simpson rejects this characterisation. He claims to have sources within Reform and regularly communicates with councillors and MPs, including Labour members.
Simpson says he starts work at 6am, reading news and assigning tasks to a team, attends school, and works again until 1am. His readership is split between the very young and middle-aged, with 40% over 50 and 30% under 18. He once supported Farage but now calls him a “fraud”, and admires Reform MP Rupert Lowe as a potential saviour of the UK.
