Covid, chemtrails and climate: the wild ideas spread by Reform UK candidates

Reform, a political group that leans towards right-wing populism, has been discovered to have several of its most experienced potential parliamentary candidates sharing conspiracy theories and unconventional beliefs online. Surprisingly, the party has supported these individuals, rather than distancing themselves from them. We have listed below seven instances to illustrate this.

Discover Aldershot With Trevor Lloyd-Jones

Lloyd-Jones is standing on a platform that some experts recognize as being one of the prime points of interest for Reform. He shared content on Facebook that was against vaccinations, and even posted a photo showing a needle with the phrase "admit it, you're fooled" written above it in graffiti.

Additionally, he shared a meme which wrongly accused the former health chief, Matt Hancock, of intentionally causing the deaths of numerous elderly individuals during the Covid pandemic. The meme was used to suggest that the pandemic was used as a smoke screen for his actions.

The picture came with a message that read: "I gathered a large reserve of the medication midazolam, moved the senior citizens from hospitals to nursing homes, and used midazolam to kill them. I named my actions Covid." The message appeared on top of a photo of Hancock's face.

He spread information endorsing the idea of "15-minute cities", which is a questionable theory that was initially introduced by an extremist individual based in the USA with far-right beliefs.

Lloyd-Jones chose not to provide a response.

Meet Alex Stevenson From Amber Valley

Stevenson shared materials that endorse several conspiracy theories that have been circulating lately, which were originally put forth by Andrew Bridgen, a past member of the Conservative Party who was stripped of his political influence after comparing Covid vaccines to the Holocaust.

Stevenson, who is considered important in the Reform seat, shared material from a conspiracy theorist based in the United States. This person has been spreading false information about Covid vaccines that has been proven wrong, claiming that they cause a significant rise in unnecessary deaths. Stevenson wrote a caption, written in capital letters, saying that it's impossible to conceal the number of people who have passed away, no matter how much the data is adjusted.

He shared a clip created by a content creator on YouTube who is being blamed for disseminating false information concerning the current pandemic.

There has been no response from Stevenson in regards to a comment request.

Discovering Lynn Murphy In Easington

Murphy is running for a position that Reform considers highly important. She believes that the concept of a "climate emergency" is simply a fabricated issue.

In a Facebook discussion, she expressed her opinion that believing in climate change causing the world to end is misguided. She pointed out that the climate naturally varies with the seasons and also mentioned Bill Gates' project to block sunlight using clouds. Additionally, she reiterated that basic scientific knowledge learned in high school shows that the Earth is composed of hot molten lava.

There has been no reply from Murphy in regards to a comment request.

Meet Chris Farmer From Gloucester

The farmer has shared ideas that suggest the World Economic Forum is plotting to manipulate the UK government. Additionally, he has expressed a theory that a cluster of mayors from major cities worldwide is attempting to leverage the climate emergency as a pretext for prohibiting individuals from using their private vehicles.

According to him, it signifies the "termination of existence as we're familiar with it". He posted online stating that one should not pay attention to the assertions made about the climate crisis since they are made-up to validate the establishment of tyrannies. He also mentioned that any specialist who declares CO2 to be a harmful substance is either misguided, incorrect, or dishonest.

The farmer did not provide a comment in response to the request.

"Meet Andrea Whitehead: Representing Leeds West And Pudsey"

A lady named Whitehead shared some memes online about the chemtrail conspiracy theory. When the Guardian reached out to her, she said that this was a chance to get some "free publicity".

"Discovering Hamish Haddow In Chipping Barnet"

Haddow made a claim that the RNLI, which is sometimes asked to assist individuals who are attempting to cross the dangerous Channel to find refuge in the UK due to a lack of options, is essentially operating like a transportation service for undocumented immigrants.

In the year 2022, a man decided to withdraw himself from being a potential candidate for the Conservative Party in the upcoming local council elections because of a series of tweets that surfaced online. These tweets showcased that he was in support of Vladimir Putin. However, he alleged that it was a humorous post and not meant to be taken seriously. When asked for his response, Haddow chose not to provide any comments.

"Discover Noel Matthews In North West Leicestershire"

According to reports, the individual in charge of selecting candidates for Reform and removing those who make unacceptable remarks expressed support for Tommy Robinson and made fun of concerns about Islamophobia while running for the party in the 2019 election.

BuzzFeed reported that he shared a post on Twitter that suggested the notorious criminal and extremist Robinson (whose actual name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon) was a victim of unjust treatment. In agreement with the post, he included the word "THIS" as an expression of his support.

He supported and shared information that referred to the term "Islamophobia" as a nonsensical and fabricated term. In addition, he posted a tweet that questioned whether it is spelled "Islamaphobia" or "Islamophobia" when the word was initially coined. Despite these actions, Reform decided to choose him again for this latest round.

Matthews denied ever stating that Islamophobia was a fictitious concept. In addition, he made it clear that he acknowledges the existence of unjustified hatred towards Muslims in our society, and that he wholeheartedly condemns it.

According to the blog, he claimed that he was simply repeating someone else's words when he posted the tweet that read "Islamophobia is a silly, made up word". However, when asked to explain how his statement aligned with the second tweet, he did not provide a response.

A representative for the party mentioned that the allegations being put forward seem to be far-fetched. They consist of a bunch of individuals sharing mostly humorous memes and asking questions about concerns that affect a large group of people in the country. In certain instances, these posts are not what you'd expect from people involved in politics, according to the Guardian.

Reform's candidates are not typical or self-interested politicians who are afraid of their own opinions and criticism from others. We are proud of the unique individuals who make up our party.

Although some of their perspectives may seem unusual, none of them aim to cause harm. Reform UK is against achieving net zero and the ideas regarding climate change. They admire the history of our nation and believe that the total lockdowns due to Covid had a negative effect on the country, its economy, and the welfare of its citizens.

If you observe a person closely, you may perceive some of their views as peculiar. This includes people who read The Guardian, and maybe even more so for them. However, removing them all from politics would be a disfavor to both them and the nation.

The representative made another comment afterward and said: "It's evident that Reform's adversaries are running out of ideas, considering the gravity of the accusations." The spokesperson sent an email using the party's Westminster address and said, "These candidates are in line with what the public wants, but not what some people in Westminster and north London want."

He suggested that the researchers should explore more outside of their usual surroundings. He added that it is common knowledge that Reform eliminates candidates who express opinions that are beyond rational discussion. This distinguishes Reform from traditional parties, which use suspensions and endless investigations to cover up controversies.