A senior Reform MP today likened the furore over racism and sexism displayed by some of its elected politicians to the BBC's paedophile presenter scandals, saying the party could only do so much to root out 'bad apples'.
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party → liken → apples
Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick said it was impossible to create a 'fool-safe' process for vetting candidates as the party faced fresh questions about checks on those joining and seeking office.
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party → say → office
In a heated appearance on BBC radio he also lashed out at ITV over its undercover probe, accusing it of 'lying, faking documents, spending millions of pounds, a year in this case ... ultimately I presume with the aim of trying to find Nigel Farage saying or acting in an inappropriate way'.
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Farage → lash → way
Several Reform councillors have already quit after the probe filmed them describing black children as 'animals', making sexist jokes - including about incest - and suggesting the King should be beheaded for being a secret Muslim.
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King → quit → incest
A second round of revelations last night showed one member saying the party had a vetting philosophy that asked if applicants were 'a f***ing lunatic' and likely to create bad headlines.
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applicants → show → headlines
Mr Jenrick told Radio 4's Today programme: 'You cannot do an absolutely fool-safe procedure.
'
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You → tell → procedure
Can you now give a guarantee to your listeners this morning that no BBC presenter in the future will be exposed as a paedophile, as a number have been in the recent past?
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presenter → give → past
Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick said it was impossible to create a 'foolsafe' process for candidates as the party faced fresh questions about checks on those joining
Cllr Alan Feeney (pictured), appointed deputy mayor of Solihull Borough Council in May, said: 'I'd be saying no more than 1 per cent of British population can be non-white... like literally drag them out of their homes, stick them on planes and f*** them off to Pakistan'
Cllr Chris Whelan said of a female Reform candidate: 'I'd have been sniffing that seat as soon as she got up'
'No, of course you can't because you cannot know absolutely everything about every individual in your organisation.
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you → say → organisation
What I can say is we are doing absolutely everything we can and we are doing more I believe than other political parties.
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I → say → parties
Mr Jenrick also went on to defend Mr Farage, saying: 'He is someone who has probably done more than anyone else to stand against racism and the Far Right and to protect our politics from that over the course of my lifetime.
'
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who → go → lifetime
This documentary failed to besmirch his character, which presumably was its ultimate objective.
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which → fail → character
ITV found a staff member admitting: 'The philosophy is generally like, 'Are they a f***ing lunatic?'
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they → find → ?
You know what I mean?
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I → know → what
Is it going to cause problems with the Press?'
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it → go → Press
And one candidate said he was rejected twice after showing support for far-Right activist Tommy Robinson, only to be invited back into the fold to stand in an election he nearly won.
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he → say → election
The new revelations, broadcast last night, came just hours after party leader Nigel Farage denied Reform had a problem with vetting, despite three councillors leaving over racist, sexist and violent language exposed in the first excerpts from the documentary, set to air in full on Sunday.
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councillors → broadcast → Sunday
He told the BBC on Thursday: 'We vet to a much higher standard than the other parties.'
But Mr Farage admitted that, though the party can look at candidates' CVs and social media, 'I can't predict what they're going to say after a drink, when they're being provoked or egged on to say something.'
Cllr Dean Miller, elected to Bromley Council in May, told an undercover reporter: 'Apparently King Charles is a f****** Muslim... cut the c***'s head off'
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage recently denied his party had a problem with vetting its staff
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party → tell → staff
The vetting officer who talked of weeding out the lunatics told the undercover reporter: 'S*** happens, nothing's perfect.
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nothing → talk → reporter
I had to turn down a convicted rapist the other day.
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I → have → rapist
I caught that one.'
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I → catch → one
And former candidate Alex Lomas, filmed while campaigning in the Makerfield by-election in Greater Manchester, said he was first rejected by Reform for swearing too much online and posting abusive comments about Sir Keir Starmer.
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he → film → Starmer
He said he had then been turned away for sharing Tommy Robinson posts, saying: 'Too far-Right.'
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he → say → posts
But Mr Lomas claimed that he was called back by the party a few days later and told he had passed vetting.
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he → claim → vetting
He explained: 'They needed someone to stand.
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They → explain → someone
Because they basically just wanted to say, we are standing a candidate in every single ward in Oldham.
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we → want → Oldham
Mr Lomas went on to secure 1,015 votes, just 200 behind the winning Labour candidate.
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Lomas → go → candidate
Reform's first female MP was also recorded complaining about the men in the party.
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MP → record → party
Sarah Pochin was told that a woman was starting work in the press office and replied: 'Oh, thank f*** for that.
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woman → tell → that
'They just exclude you if you're a woman.
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you → exclude → you
It's really tough being a girl with all of this alpha male s*** going on.'
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* → go → *
Mr Jenrick told Today: 'That's not my experience of Reform.'
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That → tell → Reform
He added: 'I've spoken to Sarah many times.
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I → add → Sarah
We are colleagues and friends and she knows that she can always rely on me.
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she → know → me
But it's not my experience that the party has problems of that kind.'
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party → have → kind
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