Conservatives<\/a> over allegedly offensive or racist comments, while another shared conspiracy theories about Covid, it has emerged, as the full slate of candidates was confirmed.<\/p>\nMore than 5,000 council places in England are being contested on 7 May, along with several mayoralties, and elections for the Scottish and Welsh parliaments, in a significant test for all the major parties.<\/p>\n
Councils began publishing lists of confirmed candidates on Friday, after the closure of nominations at 4pm on Thursday. Reform say they are standing candidates in just over 95% of seats, around as many as Labour. Nigel Farage, Reform UK\u2019s leader, has said the party\u2019s vetting procedures have been beefed up.<\/p>\n
One of its candidates for Bolton council is Derek Bullock, a former Conservative who was suspended by the party over allegations he posted a racist comment about people of Pakistani heritage on Facebook. Bullock said screenshots showing the comment were faked.<\/p>\nBullock was a Tory candidate for the council in 2023 when images emerged of a post sent at the time of the 2017 Manchester Arena terrorist attack in which he allegedly used a racial slur to call for people of Pakistani heritage to be shot.<\/p>\n
The Conservatives disowned his candidacy, and Bullock won as an independent. Earlier, in 2020, Bullock had faced internal disciplinary action by the Conservatives after allegedly posting an anti-Islam article on Facebook .<\/p>\n
A Reform spokesperson said: \u201cMr Bullock has always strongly maintained that this image is fake and has reported this resurfaced material to the police. Mr Bullock is a valued member of his community and is currently a trustee of the Asian Elders\u2019 Resource Centre in Bolton.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reform has separately said that among its candidates for Sunderland council is Glenda Hall, whose Facebook page includes posting a video setting out Covid conspiracy theories, and appearing to recommend a blog post describing Afghan men as \u201csexual predators\u201d.<\/p>\nNigel Farage launches local election campaign slogan in Westminster.<\/span> Photograph: Matthew Chattle\/Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIn 2020, Hall shared what she called an \u201cinteresting video\u201d about whether Covid is the \u201choax of the century\u201d by a renowned conspiracy theorist called Vernon Coleman. He has described the pandemic as the \u201cgreatest fraud in human history\u201d, calling it an exaggerated scare created by \u201cthe Rothschilds, the Rockefellers, the Bliderbergers and the Jesuits\u201d.<\/p>\n
Last year she recommended a Substack post about, as she called it, \u201csecret immigration of Afghans into the UK\u201d.<\/p>\n
The post calls Afghan men \u201csexual predators\u201d, arguing that stories about the murder of Afghan men by western troops might have been \u201cwishful thinking motivated by revulsion at the sexual behaviour of Afghan men.\u201d<\/p>\n
She added: \u201cPersonally I hope they were true.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reform has been contacted for comment on Hall. A Labour party spokesperson called the comments \u201cutterly deplorable\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cNigel Farage has repeatedly boasted about Reform\u2019s vetting procedures,\u201d the spokesperson said. \u201cYet again, his party is insulting voters by standing individuals who are completely unfit for public office. Farage needs to urgently condemn these vile remarks and sack them as Reform candidates.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reform are forecast to make significant gains across a number of councils, as well as in Scotland and Wales. While Labour and the Conservatives are expected to experience heavy losses, the Green party are hoping to win a number of seats amid a surge in polling under Zack Polanski, the party\u2019s leader in England and Wales since September.<\/p>\n
On Friday evening, the Greens said they had candidates standing in 89% of the English local council seats being contested, far higher than in any previous election. Their previous highest was 72%, set last year.<\/p>\n
Earlier in the week, the Greens took a seat from Reform on Kent council, often described as Reform\u2019s \u201cflagship\u201d administration, after a byelection prompted by the sitting Reform councillor being jailed for controlling or coercive behaviour towards his wife.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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