Lammy Effortlessly Demolishes Farage’s Claim To Be Anti-Establishment With Brutal Putdown

Posted on 08/07/2026 by Boris Clair

David Lammy tore into Nigel Farage during deputy prime minister’s questions on Wednesday over the Reform UK leader’s decision to trigger a by-election.

The Clacton MP dramatically declared that he was resigning, only to run again in a “people versus establishment” contest in his constituency yesterday.

The announcement came as Farage faces a growing list of questions about his finances.

He is currently under investigation by the parliamentary standards commissioner for failing to declare a £5 million “gift” he received from a crypto-billionaire shortly before he ran for parliament in 2024.

Farage could face further probes for not declaring his entire property portfolio to parliament or for the support he quietly took from “posh” George Cottrell.

It recently emerged the convicted criminal offered Farage funding for staff, security and the use of his London townhouse before he became an MP.

Farage has denied any wrongdoing and claims to be the victim of an “establishment stitch-up”.

But, in the Commons on Wednesday, Lammy – who was representing the government while Keir Starmer is away at the Nato summit in Turkey – questioned Farage’s claim of being a man of the people.

Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper kicked off the conversation by asking Lammy if Farage’s resignation should be delayed until after the probe into his undeclared gifts.

She joked: “The honorable member for Clacton used to say leave means leave, but it seems his latest stunt is to leave this place so he can return as a fully-fledged member, after not just one referendum on his behaviour, Mr Speaker, but possibly two.”

The deputy PM replied: “Everyone can see that the Reform leader is just trying to distract from the fact that he is up to his neck in sleaze.

“He’s got serious questions to answer and he can’t run away from them.

“Labour isn’t going to be part of this circus.

“I hear it’s the people versus the establishment – the city trader, Putin-admiring, professional politician who is pals with crypto billionaires versus Count Binface.”

All other political parties have decided not to run a candidate against Farage in Clacton, leaving only comedy candidate Count Binface to compete against the Reform leader.

That triggered yet more laughter in the Commons, to which Lammy said: “There have been unqualified joke candidates in the past. Let’s see what the people of Clacton decide.”

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Nigel Farage Quits As MP To Trigger By-Election Amid Row Over His Finances

Posted on 07/07/2026 by Boris Clair

Nigel Farage has dramatically quit as an MP to trigger a by-election in his Clacton seat.

The Reform UK leader made the shock announcement amid the mounting furore over his personal finances.

He said it would be a “people versus the establishment” contest as he accused the media and his political opponents of waging a vendetta against him.

In a statement broadcast on social media, Farage said: “I will fight to win. I will fight to continue the political revolution that Reform has started, and I would say this to you, the voters of Clacton, if I win, you win, because if I lose, they win, and we will never with the two old parties get the type of fundamental change that we need to fix broken Britain.”

Farage has been under pressure since it emerged in April that he had received a £5 million gift from Thailand-based crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne shortly before he became an MP.

Daniel Greenberg, the parliamentary commissioner for standards, is carrying out a probe into whether Farage should have declared it – and could recommend he be suspended from the Commons.

By taking matters into his own hands, the Reform boss may be trying to get ahead of the investigation by attempting to secure a fresh mandate from voters in Clacton, who elected him with a majority of 8,400 at the last general election.

Greenberg has also been urged to investigate the financial support Farage accepted from convicted criminal George Cottrell before be entered parliament.

According to the Sunday Times, Cottrell – known as “posh George” – provided funding for Farage’s staffing and security, as well as the use of a London townhouse, before he became an MP.

Under parliamentary rules, new MPs need to register any gifts worth more than £300 they received in the previous 12 months, except where the gift “could not be reasonably thought by others” to relate to their political activities.

Farage has denied any wrongdoing and claimed he is the victim of “an establishment hit job”.

Allies of the Reform leader have described him as “tired” and “stressed” as the pressure mounts, and suggested he needs a break from politics.

His dramatic announcement came a day after he clashed with a Sky News reporter at Heathrow Airport as he returned from America.

Asked if it was a mistake not to declare the financial support he received from George Cottrell, Farage replied: “You tell your bosses, you harass my family any more there will be serious consequences. That’s what your organisation has done this morning. Go away.”

Sky has denied approaching anyone in Farage’s family about the story, which the Reform leader dismissed as “an outright lie”.

In his statement, he said: “The issue with my daughter was the final straw. Enough is enough. And I thought over the weekend, what shall I do?

“I could go out and try and make some real big money. I could go to the USA, where I’ve got plenty of offers. And then I thought, why should I be judged today, or in history in the future, by Sky News and their ilk?

“Why should they be the people that decide my fate? When, as I repeat, I have done nothing wrong.

“I thought about it hard and I have decided today I will resign as a member of parliament for Clacton-on-Sea, thereby forcing a by-election, which should happen, I hope, in short order.

“Now I’ve decided that the people of Clacton should be the judges of my actions. This will be a people versus the establishment by-election. It’s a chance to stick two fingers up to the entire establishment to frankly tell them where to go, and that is why I will be putting my name forward to stand in this by-election.”

Dissatisfaction In Nigel Farage As Reform Leader Rises Amid Fresh Scrutiny, Poll Shows

Posted on 05/07/2026 by Boris Clair

Dissatisfaction in Nigel Farage has increased over the last year amid growing scrutiny over his finances, according to a new poll.

Ipsos found almost two-thirds (63%) of Brits said they are “dissatisfied” with the Reform UK leader in June 2026 compared to 49% in June 2025.

That number far exceeds the number who are still satisfied in Farage – just 26% said they were happy with the Clacton MP this year, compared to 26% in 2025.

The findings come as the Clacton MP is under investigation for not declaring a £5 million donation from a crypto-billionaire shortly before he was sworn into parliament.

He insists he has not broken any parliamentary rules as the lump sum was not used for political purposes.

The Sunday Times has also revealed that Farage did not declare the support he received from convicted criminal George Cottrell prior to his election.

A Reform spokesperson replied: “Contrary to the story’s tone, no parliamentary rules have been broken.”

The party’s Treasury spokesperson Robert Jenrick also insisted on Sky News on Sunday that heightened scrutiny on Farage’s finances has not had an impact on their popularity.

Indeed, pollsters at Ipsos found 26% of Brits would vote for Reform if a general election were held tomorrow.

That means Farage’s party has held onto its comfortable lead in the opinion polls even during the heightened scrutiny.

However, Labour appears to have closed much of the gap behind Reform, and is just two points behind on 24%.

The party’s improvement in the polls comes amid speculation that Andy Burnham is going to take over from Keir Starmer.

There’s something going on with Nigel Farage’s poll ratings.

See here from @Ipsos_in_the_UK

Job satisfaction
June 2025
Satisfied 34%
Dissatisfied 49%

June 2026
Satisfied 26% (-8)
Dissatisfied 63% (+14)

Today’s headlines unlikely to help. pic.twitter.com/edDx7TbWIQ

— Keiran Pedley (@keiranpedley) July 5, 2026

‘Thank You, Dear Keir’: Reaction To Starmer’s Resignation Rolls In

Posted on 22/06/2026 by Boris Clair

Keir Starmer’s decision to stand down was hardly a surprise, but politicians across the political spectrum – and around the world – have rallied to pay tribute to the outgoing prime minister.

The PM declared he was standing down as Labour leader on Monday and set out a timetable for his official departure from No.10.

In an emotional speech, he said he was leaving in “good grace” after accepting that the Parliamentary Labour Party did not want him to lead them into the next general election.

It comes after his greatest rival Andy Burnham won the Makerfield by-election last Friday.

As Labour’s most popular politician, the former Greater Manchester mayor was already expected to challenge the prime minister and win any subsequent leadership contest.

Here’s how Starmer’s Labour colleagues, international allies and domestic opponents responded to his resignation.

Labour Party

Burnham, who has already thrown his hat into the ring to be Starmer’s successor, said: “Keir has given huge service to our country and I want to thank him for his leadership and dedication during such a challenging period.

“His decision marks the beginning of a transition and it is important that this process is conducted in an orderly and responsible way.”

Former health secretary Wes Streeting, who was briefly considered a leadership hopeful, said he backed Burnham as Streeting’s replacement and added that Starmer “has made the right decision to stand down as Leader of the Labour Party that he saved”.

Starmer’s cabinet also paid tribute to him, with deputy prime minister David Lammy saying he “incredibly proud to have played my part” in Starmer’s government.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves praised Starmer for “taking our party from the worst defeat in modern history” to a landslide victory in just four years.

Home secretary Shabana Mahmood said Starmer’s achievements “will never be forgotten” and that he put us “on the path to the change we promised at the last election”.

She added: “A devoted and dedicated public servant, we owe him our deepest thanks.”

Foreign secretary Yvette Cooper echoed this sentiment, saying the country is stronger and fairer “because of what Keir has done over the last six years”.

Former deputy PM Angela Rayner extended her sympathies to Starmer, saying: “History will remember not just the challenges he faced but the achievements he oversaw.”

Energy secretary Ed Miliband said Starmer can be “immensely proud of his achievement” and that his statement showed “great dignity and integrity”.

One of Starmer’s closest allies, the attorney general Lord Hermer, told Sky News that the PM was not “angry” at being forced out of office.

He said: “I would be, but I don’t think he is.

“I think he is someone who is genuinely focused on the country and doing the right thing, and you saw that on the podium today.”

Anna Turley, chair of the Labour Party, wrote in a statement: “I’m sorry that the nature of politics now is so impatient, so unforgiving, and so personally brutal.

“You have shown that in a world of easy promises, irresponsible rhetoric and lazy, dangerous populism, it is still possible to do things the right way – to show duty, decency and the real patriotism of hard work and service.”

Opposition Parties

Leader of the opposition, the Tories’ Kemi Badenoch, was less forgiving.

She wrote on X: “Britain is not ungovernable. Keir Starmer is a terrible Prime Minister.

“But the problem isn’t just Starmer. Labour MPs only want higher taxes to hand out more benefits, as the Welfare Secretary has pointed out. These are Labour’s choices and their values, regardless of who is running the party.”

The Lib Dem leader Ed Davey said: “The British people are sick of being let down by an endless merry-go-round of prime ministers while nothing really changes for them.

“This time must be different. It can’t just be about changing who’s in Number 10, it has to be about changing our broken politics so we can fix our country.”

He added: “Whoever becomes prime minister needs to drop the caution and complacency and show the ambition our country deserves.”

Green Party leader Zack Polanski said: “The country needs a bold change of direction. Starmer lost the confidence of the country because of his abject failure to challenge the power and wealth of an establishment which has taken for themselves while leaving the vast majority in a cost of living crisis and facing the worst impacts of the climate and nature crisis.”

“We are still waiting to see which version of Andy Burnham might going to show up in Downing Street,” he added. “Burnham must be bold or he will be bust.”

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage called for a general election, writing on X: “I’ve had enough of waiting around. Britain needs change – real change, not another washed-up has-been shoved into place by the uniparty.

“If Labour thinks it can shove another professional politician into No 10, it has another thing coming. Reform is ready for an election, and we are ready to deliver radical change.”

SNP leader and Scotland’s first minister John Swinney paid tribute to Starmer in a statement, saying: “On a personal level, I wish the prime minister and his family well.

“Leadership is tough, and can make extraordinary demands both on the leader and their families. Sir Keir Starmer has made the right decision. It was past time for him to face reality and the fact he now has allows some hope that things can change.”

International Allies

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Starmer on on X, writing: “The United Kingdom has been, is, and will remain among the world’s leaders.

“Here in Ukraine, we deeply value Britain, and every meeting and every conversation we have had has always been filled with real substance.

“Thank you for always being in touch, always engaged, and always striving to do what is needed and what will truly help.”

He added: “Keir, you are always a welcome guest in Ukraine.”

European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, thanked Starmer for his work on rebuilding the UK’s relationship with the EU.

She said: “It can take many leaders years to grow into the statesman you became in just two years.

“European and Ukrainian security is stronger because of you. Thank you, dear Keir.”

Former Czech prime minister Petr Fiala paid tribute to Starmer for his “clear and principled support for Ukraine”, and helped to unlock new levels of UK-EU cooperation.

He added: “Today, rational and decent politicians face an increasingly difficult environment. Starmer moved the Labour Party towards the political centre and strengthened the United Kingdom’s position abroad. In the end, it was not enough.

Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement that he considers Starmer “a friend” and notes “politics can also be a harsh business”.

He added: “When the time comes for Keir to leave Downing Street, he can be proud of the contribution he has made to the country he loves and to the Labour party that he led back to government in 2024.”

Reform’s Plans For Women And Motherhood Act Under Fire For ‘Bringing In Handmaid’s Tale’

Posted on 16/06/2026 by Boris Clair

Reform UK’s plans for a Women and Motherhood Protection Act have been compared to the dystopian Handmaid’s Tale in a scathing takedown.

Nigel Farage’s party has promised to “strengthen women’s rights, protect motherhood and restore equality before the law” in a new policy document.

It claims the Equality Act does not go far enough and that sex based rights have been eroded.

The party vows “Reform UK will be the most pro-woman and pro-mother government in modern British history”.

It pledges to protect existing maternity rights and extend the time limit for pregnancy and maternity claims of unfair dismissal to 12 months.

“This Act will make Britain one of the best countries in the world to become a mother,” Reform alleges.

But the pledges fell flat with Labour MP Stella Creasy, who has long campaigned against the “motherhood penalty” in the UK.

She told HuffPost UK: “Reform reveal they think only women have responsibility for bringing up children.

“This is a charter for bringing in the Handmaid’s Tale, not equality in the home or the workplace – reinforcing the motherhood penalty and not ending it.”

The Handmaid’s Tale is a dystopian novel and drama series about forcing fertile women to bear children in a totalitarian society.

Creasy continued: “That’s why we need to align with Europe in giving all parents rights to paid parental leave so that no parent is left holding the baby.

“If Reform are serious about helping end discrimination, they should back my amendment to do that instead of failing to even mention the responsibilities of dads and second parents.”

Bridget Phillipson, minister for women and equalities, also criticised the policy suggestion.

She said: “Nigel Farage has spent years arguing women don’t need the protections and rights we fought for.

“From their leader praising Andrew Tate, to running a self-professed sexist as a candidate, Reform prove time and again they have a problem with women.”

Reform’s candidate for the upcoming Makerfield by-election, Robert Kenyon, made sexist remarks in unearthed social media comments and even admitted: “I’m sexist, sorry but I am.”

Phillipson continued: “Tearing up the Equality Act on day one just to replace it with something weaker is a complete waste of time and money.

“It was a Labour government that put women’s rights into law, and a Labour government now that is safeguarding and strengthening them.”

The Conservatives’ shadow equalities minister, Claire Coutinho, tore into the policy plan, too.

She said: “Reform care so little about women’s rights they said they’d scrap the Equality Act without even realising that it protects pregnant women from being sacked.

“Their prisons adviser believes men should be put in women’s prisons. And today’s plans would leave women who say biological sex is real completely exposed to being harassed and hounded out of their jobs.

“Kemi Badenoch is the only political leader who has consistently stood up for women’s rights and under her leadership the Conservatives will fight for their protections at every opportunity.”

Union Leaders Reject Nigel Farage’s Call For Them To Back Reform UK

Posted on 09/06/2026 by Boris Clair

Union leaders have slammed Nigel Farage after he called on them to ditch Labour and back Reform UK instead.

In a major policy announcement, he said Reform was now “the party of the workers”.

He urged trade unions to affiliate with Reform UK and for their leaders to attend the party’s annual conference in Birmingham in September.

Farage, who has not held a press conference since it emerged nearly two months ago that he received £5 million donation from a Thailand-based crypto billionaire, made the announcement in a video on X.

Reform is now the party of workers.

Today I am inviting trade unions to apply for affiliation with Reform UK.

We also welcome union leaders to attend our national conference in September and engage in discussions about the policies of a future Reform government. pic.twitter.com/v9dRHMmwU4

— Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage) June 9, 2026

But the trade unions themselves immediately rejected his invitation.

They pointed out that Reform – which has seen several former Tory cabinet ministers defect to the party – voted against Labour’s attempts to strengthen rights for workers.

A GMB spokesperson said: “Mr Farage and his Reform MPs say one thing to workers and do another.

“They voted against sick pay and other essential safeguards. They even want to prevent people organising to make work better at places like Amazon.

“Now they want to stop low-paid working women getting access to their pension scheme.

“We see them for what they are – rebadged Tories after union members’ basic rights.”

Maryam Eslamdoust, the general secretary of the TSSA union, said: “The interests of working people are not safe in the hands of Reform UK, a party whose leaders want to protect their own interests at the expense of everyone else.

“A Farage-led government would rip up the Employment Rights Act and launch even worse attacks on workers’ rights than Thatcher.

“Union members will not be conned by this ridiculous and desperate gimmick from Farage.”

Labour MPs also hit out at Farage, with one saying he was “like a fox campaigning for better henhouse security.”

Alex Sobel, the Labour MP for Leeds Central and Headingley, said: “Nigel Farage opposed Labour’s legislation to ban zero hours contracts and outlaw fire and rehire.

“It’s outrageous for him to seek to pose as a champion of workers’ rights, given his consistent hostility to trade unions.

“Reform UK has no interest whatsoever in promoting employment rights or of campaigning for a national living wage.

“This is pure opportunism from Farage, who would go further than Thatcher with anti-union legislation if he ever came to power.”

Posting on X, fellow Labour MP Luke Charters said: “Quite something from a bloke who voted to water down union rights and opposed day-one sick pay, parental leave, bereavement leave and protections from exploitative zero-hours contracts.

“Like a fox campaigning for better henhouse security.”

FBU general secretary Steve Wright said: “Nigel Farage is a Thatcherite who is an enemy of trade unions and has consistently opposed extending employment rights, as well as workers taking strike action in defence of their jobs.

“As a former Tory party member in the 1980s, Farage was a cheerleader for Thatcher’s war on the miners and the biggest onslaught on trade unions since the Second World War. As an MP, Farage opposed the introduction of Employment Rights Act to ban zero hour contracts and outlaw fire and rehire.

“Firefighters and other workers will see this ludicrous stunt for what is by a party led by multi-millionaires that is a threat to the working class.”

Nigel Farage Slams Elon Musk For Backing Rival Right-Wing Party In Makerfield By-Election

Posted on 25/05/2026 by Boris Clair

Nigel Farage has hit out at Elon Musk for backing a rival right-wing party in next month’s crucial Makerfield by-election.

The Reform UK leader accused the X owner of trying “to split the right of British politics” by supporting Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain party.

Lowe was elected as a Reform MP in 2024, but left the party to set up his own outfit following a spectacular bust-up with Farage.

Voters in Makerfield will go to the polls on June 18 in what is expected to be a close fight between Labour’s Andy Burnham and Robert Kenyon of Reform UK.

An opinion published at the weekend put Burnham on 43% and Kenyon on 40%.

Restore Britain are on 7% – a level of support which would be enough to swing the seat for Reform if those voters backed Kenyon instead.

Musk made clear his support for Restore by sharing a post on X by Rupert Lowe in which he claimed his party “is under brutal assault by the establishment”.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Farage said Andy Burnham would be “delighted” at Musk’s endorsement of Restore.

He said: “Elon Musk has decided he will try to split the right of British politics as best he can. This is supporting a party that’s one man with a social media account. Quite what he’s trying to achieve, I have no idea.”

Farage and Musk have been engaged in an ongoing feud since the tech billionaire called for him to be dumped as Reform leader last year.

Musk turned on Farage shortly after the pair met at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort amid claims he was preparing to donate up to $100 million to the party.

It came after Farage moved to distance himself from far-right activist Tommy Robinson, who has been praised by Musk.

He said: “We’re a political party aiming to win the next general election. He’s not what we need.”

Responding to Musk’s call for him to be dumped as Reform leader, Farage said: “Well, this is a surprise! Elon is a remarkable individual but on this I am afraid I disagree.

“My view remains that Tommy Robinson is not right for Reform and I never sell out my principles.”

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‘Establishment Stooge’: Zia Yusuf Unveils ‘Abhorrent’ Plans To Punish Areas Which Do Not Vote Reform

Posted on 04/05/2026 by Boris Clair

Reform UK has been slammed after it revealed a new policy to put migrant detention facilities in constituencies and councils not controlled by its own representatives.

Days out from the local elections in England, and devolved elections in Wales and Scotland, Reform’s home affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf declared that a Reform government would “deport all illegal migrants in Britain”.

While waiting to be deported, the migrants would be housed in detention centres for a “couple of weeks”.

Yusuf claimed: “A Reform government will not put any migrant detention facilities in any constituency with a Reform MP.

“Nor will we put them where Reform controls the council.

“And of the remaining areas, we will prioritise Green controlled parliamentary constituencies and Green controlled councils to locate the detention centres.”

Yusuf said this meant if Reform representatives were voted in, they would “guarantee you won’t have a detention centre near you” – but, “if you vote Green, there’s a good chance you will.”

Reform called this “an important exercise in democratic consent”.

The senior Reform figure added: “Given Zack Polanski openly advocates for open borders, we look forward to their warm embrace of this policy.”

Deputy Green leader Mothin Ali said: “Reform keep making abhorrent announcements to distract voters from they fact they want to privatise the NHS.”

A Green Party source told HuffPost UK: “The shine is coming off Nigel Farage, his own voters are starting to see him for the establishment stooge he is.”

Green leader Zack Polanski wrote on X: “Reform took a £5m donation and they’re trying to distract you.”

Reform’s announcement comes after party leader Nigel Farage was heavily criticised for pulling out the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg last minute.

The party claimed Farage was campaigning in his constituency in Clacton.

However, his critics suggested he was evading scrutiny after the Guardian reported that he had received a £5 million donation from a crypto billionaire shortly before he decided to run to be an MP in 2024.

The Conservatives also criticised the new migrant policy, as leader Kemi Badenoch retweeted a post from former cabinet minister Simon Clarke which called the policy an “appalling waste of public money”.

Clarke noted that these detention centres would likely be set up in other areas where the public have not voted for Reform – including Conservative seats.

He said: “Zia is proposing the siting of detention centres expressly as a form of political punishment for people and places that don’t vote Reform – not just Green, but presumably Conservative, Liberal and Labour too. (And what about Reform voters in those constituencies?)

“It would almost certainly be deemed an abuse of ministerial power for political purposes, and as such would likely be stuck down in court before ever being implemented, wasting millions for the taxpayer without detaining anyone.

“If it were to go ahead, it would still represent an appalling waste of public money as these sites might well not be in any way suitable for the proposed centres, or near the other infrastructure required.

“What’s worse is that he is doing all this to provoke outrage and draw attention to Reform a few days out from the local elections.

“Reform know what they are doing.

“But this goes beyond a pre-election stunt. It’s declared as a major policy commitment, and should be treated as such.”

Farage Dismisses Reform Candidate’s ‘Nazi Salute’ Photo As ‘Fawlty Towers Impression’

Posted on 27/03/2026 by Boris Clair

Nigel Farage dismissed a photo of a Reform UK candidate appearing to perform a Nazi salute by describing it as a “Fawlty Towers impression”.

Corey Edwards is Reform’s lead candidate for the Pen-y Bont Bro Morgannwg constituency in May’s Senedd election.

A photo of Edwards appearing to replicate the offensive salute recently resurfaced, though the date and location of the image are unknown.

While launching his party’s local election campaign, Reform Party leader told ITV News that his candidate was doing a “Fawlty Towers impression”.

He said: “The context I have been told, it was taking a Basil Fawlty sketch, and that’s why he did it. He’s a human being.”

Asked if Edwards would remain a candidate, he said: “I get the point – it looks terrible. Things in isolation often do. I wouldn’t approve of it.”

He then compared the incident to what he described “far more serious” case of a Plaid Cymru candidate withdrawing from the race over an offensive social media post from more than a decade ago.

Edwards also issued a statement saying the photo had been “misinterpreted” and that he had made “mistakes”.

“There is a clear distinction between ordinary use of the appalling gesture, compared with me imitating a Welsh footballer’s use of it, or indeed Basil Fawlty’s walk,” the Reform candidate said.

“The Nazi regime was the most barbaric ever and I’d never make light of nor dilute its seriousness.”

A Reform UK spokesperson also told ITV Wales: “We’re not willing to write people off forever because of mistakes they made when they were young.”

The incident is the latest drama threatening to overshadow Reform’s campaign in the run-up to the local elections.

Farage already had to publicly defend Reform’s Scottish leader, Malcolm Offord, after an offensive homophobic joke he made a rugby club dinner in 2018 resurfaced.

Offord later apologised and denied he was homophobic.

At his party launch in Sunderland this week, Farage said: “If we’re going to drum people out of public life for telling a joke at a boozy rugby club dinner that’s amongst friends, we’ll finish up with the dullest group of individuals, looking a bit like, sounding a bit like Keir Starmer.”

He added: “When you take something as it is, yeah, of course it looks awful.”

However Farage said Offord “probably regretted doing it” even on the night, and accused critics of adopting a “po-faced purism attitude”.

Reform also had to drop its mayoral candidate for the Hampshire and Solent 2028 election, Chris Parry, this week, after he compared a Jewish community group to “Islamists on horseback”.

Exclusive: Reform UK Asked Rival Party Councillor To Be ‘Paper Candidate’ In Local Election

Posted on 25/03/2026 by Boris Clair

A Lib Dem councillor was left stunned after being asked by Reform UK to stand for the party at the local elections in May.

Sam Webber, who sits on Bromley Council in south east London, was phoned out of the blue by the party’s membership team and asked if he wanted to be a “paper candidate” on May 7.

A paper candidate is someone whose name goes on the ballot representing a party but is not expected to win or do any campaigning.

Speaking to HuffPost UK, Webber accused Nigel Farage’s party of “making a mockery of the election nomination process”.

He said: “Is Reform just randomly calling up people across the country and asking them to stand for election?

“Nominations open in five days time. How much vetting will the party be doing on their candidates in that time? This runs the risk people getting nominated who would be ineligible to serve even if they were elected.

“That would see costly and unnecessary by-elections having to take place after May 7, as we saw after the 2025 local elections.

“Reform UK is making a mockery of the election nomination process. As we have seen in authorities like Kent County Council, it would be total chaos if the party gets anywhere near power. I suspect voters will not like being taken for fools.”

Reform has been contacted for comment.

A staggering 65 Reform councillors who were elected at last May’s local elections have since either resigned as councillors, defected or quit the party.

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