Nigel Farage has told Reform UK councillors that "how we behave matters" as he addressed the party's vetting controversies during a visit to Kent County Council. The Reform leader insisted he "can't apologise" for the 2024 election candidate screening process because he was not involved in it.
Mr Farage arrived at Kent County Council in Maidstone on Monday morning to meet councillors from the Reform-led authority. His visit comes amid fresh scrutiny over Reform MP James McMurdock, who represents South Basildon and East Thurrock.
McMurdock resigns party whip
McMurdock has resigned the party whip following allegations that he took out government loans during the Covid pandemic for businesses with no employees. The controversy has reignited questions about Reform's candidate selection procedures.
Mr Farage was keen to distance himself from the vetting failures during the 2024 general election campaign. He told reporters: "I came in, I inherited this situation where hundreds of candidates who stood in the last general election had not gone through a vetting process."
Professionalisation promise made
The Reform leader said he announced plans to "professionalise" the party immediately after the election on July 5 last year. He claimed the improved vetting process had worked effectively for local elections this year.
"We put 1,630 candidates into the field on May 1, more than any other party with very, very few rows or arguments - so the vetting process worked for this year, I can't apologise for what happened before," Mr Farage said. He declined to answer whether the McMurdock allegations were an embarrassment for his party.
Westminster meeting planned
"Let's find out the truth, I know as much about this right now as you do," said Mr Farage when pressed about the allegations. He added that he would be heading to Westminster later on Monday to find out more about the situation.
Addressing Reform councillors inside County Hall, Mr Farage outlined his expectations for elected representatives. He emphasised that "behaving with integrity is a responsibility upon all of you, although that doesn't mean you all have to become stuffed shirts or anything like that."
Responsibility message delivered
The Reform leader stressed that holding public office comes with accountability. "You are holders of public office you are responsible and how we behave matters," he told the councillors.
Speaking later to the PA news agency, Mr Farage expanded on his message about responsibility in elected office. "I'm not asking for stuffed shirts, I'm not asking for boring people. I'm just saying think, think to all of these people here who were basically in 'civvy street' in political terms before May 1, just think before you act."
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
