{"id":86109,"date":"2024-07-02T16:55:33","date_gmt":"2024-07-02T16:55:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/07\/02\/second-reform-nominee-defects-to-tories-over-racist-candidates\/"},"modified":"2024-07-02T16:55:33","modified_gmt":"2024-07-02T16:55:33","slug":"second-reform-nominee-defects-to-tories-over-racist-candidates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/07\/02\/second-reform-nominee-defects-to-tories-over-racist-candidates\/","title":{"rendered":"Second Reform nominee defects to Tories over ‘racist’ candidates"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By\u00a0Henry Zeffman,\u00a0<\/span>@hzeffman<\/a>,\u00a0Chief political correspondent<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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A Reform UK candidate has suspended her campaign and defected to the Conservatives because the \u201cvast majority\u201d of her fellow candidates are \u201cracist, misogynistic and bigoted\u201d.<\/p>\n

Georgie David, the Reform candidate for West Ham and Beckton, said she had been \u201cfrustrated and dismayed\u201d by party leader Nigel Farage\u2019s failure to tackle issues with candidates.<\/p>\n

Ms David said she did not believe Reform\u2019s \u201csenior leadership\u201d are racist.<\/p>\n

Reform UK chairman Richard Tice accused the Conservatives of offering Ms David \u201cjobs and safe seats\u201d to defect.<\/p>\n

Writing on social media, Mr Tice said: \u201cMore desperate corruption by Tories.<\/p>\n

\u201cNote same press release language\u2026 coordinated by dirty tricks central, [Conservative Campaign Headquarters]\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Ms David becomes the second Reform Uk candidate to defect to the Conservatives in two days, following Liam Booth-Isherwood, Reform\u2019s candidate in Erewash.<\/p>\n

In a statement she said: \u201cI am hereby announcing my decision to leave the Reform Party and stand down as their candidate for West Ham and Beckton, with immediate effect.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am in no doubt that the party and its senior leadership are not racist. However, as the vast majority of candidates are indeed racist, misogynistic, and bigoted, I do not wish to be directly associated with people who hold such views that are so vastly opposing to my own and what I stand for.<\/p>\n

\u201cI also have been significantly frustrated and dismayed by the failure of the Reform Party\u2019s leadership to tackle this issue in any meaningful way, and their attempts to instead try to brush it under the carpet or cry foul play.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Although Ms David is suspending his campaign it is legally too late to change her as candidate and will still appear for Reform on the ballot paper.<\/p>\n

Mr Booth-Isherwood also defected to the Tories on Sunday, citing “reports of widespread racism and sexism” among Reform candidates as the reason for leaving and said it was a “significant moral issue” in parts of Mr Farage’s party.<\/p>\n

A Reform UK party spokesman said: “We are very disappointed with Ms David\u2019s course of action.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe strongly disagree with her sweeping comments about the \u2018vast majority\u2019 of our 600-plus candidates, the vast majority of whom she can never even have met.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd we find it sad and strange that she chose not to bring up any of her concerns with the party leadership before publicly trashing so many of her blameless colleagues who are giving their all to get Reform UK elected.<\/p>\n

\u201cMs David was a last-minute addition to our candidate list and we apologise to the voters of West Ham and Beckton for any inconvenience.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n