Reform UK candidates in Scotland include an individual who allegedly called Greta Thunberg “aspergers girl” and another who shared a social media post comparing Allah to the devil.
Former UKIP candidate Otto Inglis – who is standing for Reform UK in Edinburgh West – reportedly made the remark about Thunberg in a hustings while standing for UKIP in the 2019 European elections.
According to the former rector of Edinburgh university, Peter McColl, who was at the hustings in Linlithgow, the comment was made as part of a “ramble about his belief that climate change is a conspiracy”.
Reform’s candidate for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Tony Ridden, shared a meme on X, formerly Twitter, on 16 June, with an image of the devil overlaid with the words: “Muslims call me Allah… You know me as Satan”. He removed the post and deleted his account after The Ferret approached Reform.
Campaigners said that it was clear that Nigel Farage’s party had “serious problems when it comes to candidates”.
Reform previously sacked two Scottish candidates after The Ferret found they shared posts by prominent far right figures and made hateful comments on social media. But the party has not commented on other candidates’ controversial comments that we have unearthed.
Both Inglis and Ridden were announced as candidates in the days leading up to 7 June, the deadline for candidates to register for the general election.
Other candidates announced before the cut off have also made controversial statements. They include Cameron Rose, the former leader of the Conservative group on Edinburgh City Council who was accused of climate science denial.
In 2019 he reportedly told youth climate strikers that he was “sceptical” about the science on climate change, despite an overwhelming majority of scientists concluding that humans are causing global warming and climate change.
The Reform candidate for Edinburgh South West, Ian Harper, wrote in his statement to voters that the UK needs to “ditch the globalist corporate driven agendas” forced upon the country by politicians “who serve a disruptive Woke, Net Zero, Open Borders dystopia”.
In a campaign video, posted on Youtube, Harper appears to argue that because it has been 13 degrees and raining on some days in June this year we can “forget about global warming”, which he says is “done and dusted”.
Candidates suspended
In April, Reform ditched two Scottish candidates after we revealed their controversial social media posts.
One said trans people have a “severe mental illness” and that their “days are numbered”. Another shared a post which said then-first minister Humza Yousaf should not be able to hold a rugby trophy because he is “more Pakistani than Scottish.”
In June, we found party candidates had ‘liked’ posts from conspiracy theorists, including Alex Jones and David Icke. The party did not respond to our requests to comment, and the candidates remain in place.
In response to various comments by candidates emerging across the UK, Reform said its candidates are free to express their views and are not “political zombies”. Nigel Farage has blamed the vetting company hired to look into candidates for not picking up controversial statements, claiming the firm has “deep links to the Tory party”.
Georgina Laming of campaign group Hope Not Hate said: “Reform UK does not publicly position itself as a racist movement, but it is clear from investigations into their candidates that many racists see the party as an appropriate vehicle for their politics.
“Dozens of candidates selected by the party have been revealed to have expressed unequivocally racist statements and calls for discrimination against a wide range of minority groups in the UK.
“Despite Nigel Farage’s attempts to blame an independent vetting company for his trouble with candidates – it’s clear that the party has serious problems when it comes to candidates. This year, 166 candidates have been axed and yet there are still extreme racists representing the party across the country.”
Reform UK did not respond to a request for comment.
As the general election approaches, The Ferret is diving deep into the influence of conspiracy theories, disinformation, and culture wars on political discourse. Have you come across falsehoods or conspiracies shared by candidates, political parties, or viral memes? We want to hear from you! Get in touch at contact@theferret.scot, and we will take a look.
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Main image: Nigel Farage speaking with attendees at the 2018 Student Action Summit hosted by Turning Point USA at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida. Credit: Gage Skidmore
