Key Facts

• George Madgwick, Reform’s former leader on Hampshire county council, was charged with 35 alleged sexual offences, including 12 counts of rape; he has said he is innocent.
• Ryan Dinnage, a former member of Nigel Farage’s security team, faced a rape charge while working with him and was later convicted and jailed; Reform said it did not know about the charge and stopped using him when it came to light.
• Suspended Reform councillor Glenn Gibbins is due in court over a charge of making grossly offensive social media posts about Nigerians; he denies the charge.
• Reform has repeatedly faced calls to disown candidates after offensive or prejudiced comments emerged, including comments by Robert Kenyon, its candidate in the Makerfield byelection.
• Before the 2024 election, Farage blamed an external company for inadequate candidate background checks; the party later brought vetting in-house.
• Reform’s vetting is now run by deputy chair Paul Nuttall, and the party has not publicly detailed how the process works.
• A report cited by the article says prospective candidates may be asked to give an unprepared speech and take part in a mock interview at regional events.