LONDON — Nigel Farage said Tuesday that candidates for his Reform UK party won’t be prevented from standing if they like social media posts by far-right activist Tommy Robinson. The Reform UK leader has long tried to distance the right-wing parties he has led from controversial Robinson and his activists. But, speaking to Radio 4’s Today program Tuesday, he said simply expressing support for Robinson shouldn’t be a bar to representing Reform UK.
Speaking to Radio 4’s Today program Tuesday, Farage said he “wouldn’t ban anybody for liking someone like Tommy Robinson. Wouldn’t be my cup of tea, but I wouldn’t ban anybody from doing so.” Farage added that he doesn’t “want us to get into a world of cancel culture” — although he added that “if somebody supported something that was outright wrong, I’d do it.” Pushed on whether any support for Robinson’s posts would merit a sanction, Farage said it “depends what the post is to a large extent. But I’m not going to run a party where we say ‘you can’t talk about that person or that person.’ We have to be sensible about vetting, and we are.” Reform UK has faced criticism for its vetting of candidates since Farage’s return as leader in 2024.
An undercover documentary by ITV found the vetting process encouraged candidates to delete social media accounts that included supporting for Robinson before applying. But Farage claimed on the BBC “we vet our council candidates to a much higher level than any other political party” and said other parties were not held to account for candidates who had made questionable comments. Robinson — who has multiple criminal convictions — is currently on trial for two counts of harassment causing fear of violence towards two journalists.
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