Nigel Farage’s band of ‘racists, rogues and misfits’ expose Reform UK’s hidden fact for actual agenda
An Oswald Mosley fan. A retiree who branded Muslims “scum”. A company director apparently celebrating women being raped. These are just some of the Reform local election candidates we have exposed.
Barely a month ago, Nigel Farage boasted about his party’s vetting – but Reform has since been left red-faced. We have lifted the lid on a steady stream of Farage’s hopefuls in recent weeks. In late March, Reform’s leader claimed on vetting: “I think we’re dealing with it as effectively, if not more effectively than the others. And I really, really mean that.” Conceding failure in the past, he added: “I think you’ll find we’re doing pretty well now.”
READ MORE: Huge blow for Farage as THREE Reform election candidates appear on leaked BNP list
Yet the evidence published by the Mirror, much of it working with anti-racism group Hope Not Hate (HnH), suggests otherwise. With voters going to the polls for councils across England on Thursday, as well as for the Senedd in Wales and Scotland ’s Parliament, we recap some of Reform’s questionable picks…
Stuart Prior, Essex
Standing in the same county where Farage holds his Parliamentary seat, Stuart Prior’s tweets make for stomach-churning reading. The company director, 54, spread racist bile in posts only months ago – even declaring white people “the master race”.
In a joint probe with HnH, we revealed how he appeared to celebrate Punjabi and Sikh women being raped, suggested Black people had smaller brains and branded Muslims “rats”. Confronted at his detached home, Prior – standing in Rayleigh West in a bid to win a county council seat, as well as in Sweyne Park and Grange, part of Rochford District Council – denied being racist. He claimed: “This looks likely something that’s been kind of created against me.” Reform said it was “looking into” Prior’s posts.
George Parnell, Hampshire
Farage has said “a golden rule” is preventing former British National Party activists joining his party, so our revelation about George Parnell gave Reform little choice but to act. The technology sector worker, 57, was one of three Reform candidates we found on a leaked BNP list.
Reform expelled the trio for “failing to declare their previous memberships of an organisation proscribed by the party”. Our investigation with HnH cross-referenced Reform candidate names with a BNP “membership and contacts” list leaked online. When the BNP leak emerged in late 2008, it was reported it was thought the list may also include lapsed members, as well as details of those who had expressed an interest in joining but not signed up.
Approached by the Mirror, Parnell – standing as a county candidate for Fleet Town as well as a hopeful for Hart District Council – gave a conflicting version of events. He initially conceded he “might have become a member” of the BNP – before changing his story.
He said he supported the BNP for “a momentary time”, adding: “A week… I might have become a member, signed up for a week, realised, actually, what did I sign up for? This isn’t what I support and binned it and didn’t think more of it.” But then he backtracked, claiming he did not sign up – saying he “withdrew it”. He added: “I didn’t become a member.” Parnell said he was “never” an activist, denying doing any campaigning.”
John Black, Blackburn, Lancashire
Another candidate whose name and address appeared on the leaked BNP database is John Black. The wannabe councillor, standing in Blackburn, Lancashire, told the Mirror he had never been a BNP member.
Asked to explain why he was named on the leaked list, the 55-year-old replied: “I have no idea.” Contacted for comment, Reform said Black had been expelled.
David Prior, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear
David Prior, standing in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, was billed as someone who “understands the challenges small businesses face”.
But confronted by the Mirror over his BNP membership – first reported by the Jewish News – the 55-year-old roofing firm boss admitted: “I made a mistake a lot of years ago… when I found out what they were all about I didn’t want anything else to do with them.” Prior was also expelled by Reform.
Angus Dalgleish, North Cheam, Sutton
Also among Farage’s local election hopefuls is a doctor said to have linked the Princess of Wales and the King’s cancers with Covid vaccines.
Professor Angus Dalgleish was quoted at Reform’s conference in September during a speech by cardiologist Dr Aseem Malhotra as saying it was “highly likely” that the Covid vaccines had been “a significant factor in the cancer of members of the Royal Family“.
Reform quickly distanced itself from Dr Malhotra’s claims, saying it did “not endorse what he said”. Prof Dalgleish is standing in North Cheam, Sutton. Reform was contacted last month.
Andrew Mahon, Blackburn, Lancashire
Reform candidate Andrew Mahon is a fan of colourful outfits… and Oswald Mosley. The 64-year-old, pictured shaking hands with Farage, backed the infamous fascist leader.
The wannabe councillor, standing in Blackburn, also posted in support of Enoch Powell. Writing on Facebook, he said: “Oswald was right 100%… we need an educational correction in the U.K. Powell and Moseley (sic) were correct, multiculturism [sic] has failed, it has been an unmitigated disaster.”
Joe Mulhall, Director of Research at HnH, which uncovered the December 2024 Facebook post, said: “Reform candidates expressing extreme views is unfortunately unsurprising, but it’s nevertheless shocking to see one supporting Britain’s most notorious fascist leader.” Contacted last month, Reform said it was “investigating the allegations”. Mahon was last month contacted for comment.
Daniel Devaney, Bradford
Daniel Devaney, who once met King Charles, was exposed last month for posting a series of “stomach-churning” anti-Muslim comments.
Standing in Bradford, the retired 70-year-old once ranted in 2024 about ‘blasting’ followers of Islam off the face of the earth. The same post uncovered by HnH also revealed he branded Muslims “scum”.
Contacted by the Mirror, the ex-canteen assistant admitted being “well out of order”. Devaney, who apologised, said he was “not racist”. Reform UK said it “was looking into the allegations”.
Emma Clatworthy, south Wales
In Wales, Emma Clatworthy is aiming to get elected to the Senedd for Reform. But we disclosed how she once peddled a Covid conspiracy theory – and even labelled the late Queen a “fraud” who should be overthrown.
Evidence uncovered by HnH revealed Clatworthy wrote in 2021: “We don’t need a government so large they’re like blood sucking ticks, taking all our money and doing nothing for us only for the corporations. They need to go, the whole system needs to be taken down and rebuilt, by us the people. The Monarch needs to go she’s not our Queen never has been she’s a fraud, they’re all German decent [sic]”.
And in the same year, she wrote: “You can’t catch a virus its the biggest lie big pharma ever spun.” Clatworthy told the Mirror: “The comments you reference are from several years ago, during a period where I was exploring a wide range of ideas and discussions online. Like many people, I was trying to make sense of complex issues at the time.
“I made a conscious decision to step away from those spaces. As a candidate, my priority is to serve people fairly, thoughtfully, and with a focus on real-world outcomes that improve lives.” Contacted about Clatworthy’s posts last month, Reform declined to comment.
