Zia Yusuf has defended Reform UK’s vetting processes after a picture of a party candidate appearing to do a Nazi salute surfaced online.
The Reform UK home affairs spokesman insisted the party has taken action after a series of “abhorrent” incidents, which also included another candidate branding the former Scottish first minister Humza Yousaf an “Islamist moron”.
Asked about the party’s vetting processes, which party leader Nigel Farage vowed to improve last year, Mr Yusuf said: “Obviously, all of that’s abhorrent and the party’s taken action on that.
“Reform has vetted over 8,000 candidates over the last couple of years. Even if our success rate is 99.9 per cent a handful will slip through.”
A Reform UK candidate for the upcoming Senedd election stood down this week after photos of him appearing to strike a Nazi salute appeared online.
Photos of Corey Edwards, reportedly taken at least six years ago, emerged hours after he announced his candidacy, appearing to show him performing a Nazi salute.
It sparked criticism from political opposition who, branded the picture as “utterly disgraceful” and criticised the standard of Reform UK electoral candidates by Reform.
Mr Edwards issued an apology for the image, telling The Independent: “A photo from many years ago has been shared that I recognise looks bad and could be misinterpreted.
“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.”
Reform UK’s Scottish leader Malcolm Offord was also forced to stand by his Holyrood candidates, after past social media posts emerged.
Linda Holt, the candidate for Fife North East, described former first minister Humza Yousaf as a “grandstanding Islamist moron” and said he was “not British” although he was born in Scotland.
Asked about the incidents, Mr Yusuf told the BBC: “But I want to make a very important point actually on vetting and how these things are covered, because yes, of course, it’s reasonable to hold Reform to account, but what consistently happens is the BBC pounces on every single Reform mishap, and gives it vastly disproportionate coverage in your news cycles, and completely ignores the far more voluminous misdemeanours and frankly, egregious things that people from other parties say.”
Mr Edwards’ suspension came just days after Reform was forced to suspend its Hampshire mayoral candidate after he appeared to liken a Jewish neighbourhood watch group to “Islamists on horseback” following an arson attack on Jewish community ambulances.
Chris Parry was suspended pending an investigation following the remarks about Shomrim, a voluntary patrol service, in a series of social media posts on Monday.
