The vetting procedures for Reform UK’s local election candidates are under fresh scrutiny after it emerged that individuals selected for next month’s ballot have previously faced disciplinary action over alleged racist comments and have promoted fringe conspiracy theories.
Allegations Against Bolton Candidate Derek Bullock
One of the party’s candidates for Bolton council is Derek Bullock, a former Conservative who was twice disciplined by that party. The first incident occurred in March 2020, when he faced internal Conservative disciplinary action for allegedly sharing an anti-Islam article from the website JihadWatch, founded by anti-Muslim activist Robert Spencer, on Facebook. In response to an article about former party chair Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, Bullock allegedly commented, “She’s been a cuckoo in the nest!”.
Three years later, in April 2023, the Conservatives disowned his candidacy for Bolton council after images emerged of a Facebook post allegedly made at the time of the 2017 Manchester Arena terrorist attack. The post, appearing under a news article about the bombing, allegedly contained the comment: “Shoot the P***s on the spot.” Separate reporting indicates that in February 2015, he had shared a Daily Mail article about the increasing number of Muslim children in England and Wales with the comment “the clock is ticking.”
Bullock has consistently maintained that screenshots of these comments are fake and has reported the resurfaced material to the police. A Reform UK spokesperson stated it was incorrect to claim Bullock was expelled from the Conservative Party for the post in question. Despite the 2023 suspension, Bullock won the election as an independent and served as a councillor for Hulton ward before losing his seat in May 2024. He is now standing for Reform UK in the same ward. The party highlights that he is a trustee of the Asian Elders’ Resource Centre in Bolton.
Sunderland Candidate’s Online Activity
Another candidate, Glenda Hall, who is standing for Sunderland council, has shared material online that has drawn criticism. In 2020, she shared what she called an “interesting video” discussing whether Covid was the “hoax of the century” by conspiracy theorist Vernon Coleman.
Coleman has described the pandemic as the “greatest fraud in human history,” claiming it was an exaggerated scare created by groups such as “the Rothschilds, the Rockefellers, the Bilderbergers and the Jesuits.” He has promoted claims linking the pandemic to “Agenda 21” and the “Great Reset,” suggesting a global plot for depopulation and control, and has asserted that COVID-19 vaccines are dangerous. These claims have been debunked by medical professionals, and Coleman’s videos were frequently banned by YouTube.
Separately, last year Hall recommended a Substack post that described Afghan men as “sexual predators.” She appeared to argue that stories about the murder of Afghan men by western troops might have been “wishful thinking motivated by revulsion at the sexual behaviour of Afghan men,” adding, “Personally I hope they were true.” Reform UK has been contacted for comment on Hall.
Election Landscape and Vetting Claims
These revelations come as more than 5,000 council places in England are contested on 7 May, alongside elections for the Scottish and Welsh parliaments and several mayoralties. Reform UK says it is standing candidates in just over 95% of English council seats, a similar number to Labour. The party is forecast to make gains in a number of areas, while Labour and the Conservatives are expected to suffer heavy losses.
Reform leader Nigel Farage has repeatedly boasted that the party’s vetting procedures have been “beefed up.” However, in a significant shift in July 2025, the party announced it was introducing a less stringent “common sense” vetting system for candidates after complaints that previous checks were too strict. The party stated that those who had previously failed vetting were “strongly encouraged” to reapply under the new “blank slate” criteria.
There are indications the party has faced challenges in recruitment. In London, it placed a full-page advertisement in the Metro newspaper urging people to come forward as “paper candidates”—individuals who stand without campaigning to ensure the party has a name on the ballot. Emails were also sent to supporters asking them to stand, with the nomination deadline for London boroughs passing on 9 April.
Labour party chair Anna Turley described the comments attributed to Bullock and Hall as “utterly deplorable,” adding: “Yet again, his party is insulting voters by standing individuals who are completely unfit for public office. Farage needs to urgently condemn these vile remarks and sack them as Reform candidates.”
Setback in a Reform Stronghold
The controversy over candidate selection follows an electoral setback for Reform earlier this week. The party lost a seat on Kent County Council, often described as its “flagship” administration, to the Green Party in a by-election. The vote was triggered after the sitting Reform councillor, Daniel Taylor, was jailed for 12 months in January 2026 for controlling or coercive behaviour towards his wife. He had been suspended after his arrest in June 2025 and expelled after pleading guilty.
The Greens, who are hoping to win seats amid a surge in polling, announced they have candidates standing in 89% of the English local council seats being contested, a record high for the party.
