Reform UK has removed two more parliamentary candidates after they were found to have made racist comments on social media. Jonathan Kay, standing in South Ribble, and Mick Greenhough, the candidate for Orpington, were dropped on Wednesday following an investigation by the campaign group Hope Not Hate.
Kay tweeted in 2019 that Muslims “never coexist with others” and should be deported, and claimed Africans had IQs “among the lowest in the world”. Greenhough tweeted in 2023 that “the only solution” was to “remove the Muslims from our territory”, and in 2019 said Ashkenazi Jews were a “problem” and had “caused the world massive misery”.
Hope Not Hate described the pair as “wildly unsuitable for public office”. A Reform UK spokesperson said: “We want to make it crystal clear that while we defend our candidates’ right to freedom of speech vigorously, we act fast when we find that individuals’ statements fall beneath our standards.”
The party has now removed seven candidates for the upcoming election following complaints about their social media comments. Other candidates dropped include Benjamin “Beau” Dade in South Swindon, Ginny Ball in Rutland and Stamford, Nick Davies in North Bedfordshire, David Carpin in Henley and Thame, and Roger Hoe in Beverley and Holderness.
Reform UK has also faced criticism over other candidates, including a convicted animal abuser and a fortune teller who sold spells for £200 on OnlyFans.
