A Reform UK candidate has disowned the party and is backing the Conservatives amid a row over racism.
Liam Booth-Isherwood, who was standing in the seat of Erewash, announced he was dropping out of the race and would instead be endorsing the Tory contender Maggie Throup to “stop Labour”.
He said he had become “increasingly disillusioned” with the behaviour of the party and accused leader Nigel Farage of not taking it seriously.
…
Pressed on why his party seems to attract people who hold extremist views, the former UKIP leader claimed it was because he had driven the British Nationalist Party (BNP) “out as an electoral force”.
“Ironically, destroying the BNP means people who are minded that way don’t any longer have a home to go to, and so some will gravitate in our direction,” he added.
Every election has a new party to essentially do what the BNP does.
2010: BNP
2015: UKIP
2017: UKIP
2019: Brexit Party
2024: Reform UK
2029: Tea Party UK?
The far-right voter base moves between these, and each of these parties tries to paint themselves as something refreshing and new. Remember when Nick Griffin went on Question Time and said his Holocaust denial was “mainly just about the numbers”? They’ve learned a bit more about dogwhistling since then.