Reform candidate quits campaign and defects to Tories, claiming ‘majority of party is racist, misogynistic and bigoted’
2 July 2024, 12:36
A second Reform candidate has become the second person to suspended their campaign and endorse the Conservatives just days out from the General Election.
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Georgie David, who had been standing for Nigel Farage’s party in West Ham and Beckton, announced on Tuesday that she would be quitting “immediately”.
“I am no doubt that the party and its senior leadership are not racist,” Ms David told the BBC.
“However, as the vast majority of candidates are indeed racist, misogynistic, and bigoted, I do not wish to be directly associated with people who hold such views that are so vastly opposing to my own and what I stand for.”
Ms David went on to say that she had immediately suspended her Reform campaign, before turning her support to the Tories.
“I would encourage all of my fellow patriots to do the same.”
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Ms David is the second candidate to defect to the Tories in the last few days, following Liam Booth-Isherwood’s decision on Sunday.
Mr Booth-Isherwood, who had planning to stand for election in Erewash, cited “reports of widespread racism and sexism”.
Reacting to the latest defection, a spokesperson for Reform UK said: “We are very disappointed with Ms David’s course of action.
“We strongly disagree with her sweeping comments about the ‘vast majority’ of our 600-plus candidates, the vast majority of whom she can never even have met.
“And we find it sad and strange that she chose not to bring up any of her concerns with the party leadership before publicly trashing so many of her blameless colleagues who are giving their all to get Reform UK elected.
“Ms David was a last minute addition to our candidate list and we apologise to the voters of West Ham and Beckton for any inconvenience.”
These two defections follow an investigation by Channel 4, which found a Reform UK canvasser called Rishi Sunak a ‘f****** p***’.
Ex-Labour adviser Scarlett MccGwire reveals to the panel her experience with a Reform activist
Footage of the bigoted comments being made by canvassers was taken by TV reporters in Clacton, where Mr Farage hopes to become an MP on Thursday.
An activist was also recorded as saying migrants should be shot at for “target practice”.
Accusations of racism have plagued Reform’s campaign in recent weeks, with the party withdrawing support for three canddiates on Saturday ahead of Thursday’s poll.
Edward Oakenfall, Robert Lomas and Leslie Lilley will still appear on the ballot paper as Reform candidates but a party spokesman has said they would sit as independent MPs should they be elected after they allegedly made racist remarks.
While discussing the three candidates on Question Time on Friday, party leader Nigel Farage said: “I want nothing to do with them”.
