In my last investigative report, I unravelled the mystery behind ghost candidates and ghost offices within Reform UK Ltd Scotland. Since then, the political landscape has been buzzing with interest, particularly in the activities of Reform UK Ltd. Recent investigations have shed light on various irregularities and potential breaches of election rules, prompting further scrutiny.
Reform UK Party Ltd
Reform UK Party Ltd, formerly the Brexit Party, operates more like a limited company than a traditional political party. Registered with Companies House since 2021, Reform UK Party Ltd lacks internal democratic mechanisms, with leadership roles filled by pre-existing power holders rather than through a transparent, member-driven process. Internal management of candidate selection and campaign decisions, with minimal member input, has led to criticisms of its democratic legitimacy. Financially, despite substantial donations from wealthy backers, Reform UK Party Ltd reported significant liabilities, indicating a financial management style more akin to a private business than a member-funded political party.
This corporate-style operation raises questions about the transparency and accountability of its political activities. Byline Times has also exposed instances of candidates promoting far-right, racist, and xenophobic rhetoric, complicating its public image and undermining claims of being a mainstream political party. The author of this article will be referring to Reform UK as Reform UK Party Ltd to focus on its corporate characteristics and to highlight concerns about its democratic authenticity and operational transparency.
Hidden presence
The transparency issues within Reform UK Party Ltd Scotland remain stark, with under 15% of candidates being public-facing. The rest remain unknown, un-promoted, and disengaged from the election process. This under-promotion highlights the need for more robust candidate information to enhance visibility and voter connection.
In a shocking revelation, Reform UK Party Ltd has only publicly promoted candidates for a mere 23 out of 57 constituencies on their social platforms and communities. This selective promotion raises questions and concerns about their strategy:
– Aberdeen North and Moray East
– Alloa and Grangemouth
– Angus and Perthshire
– Argyll, Bute and Lochaber
– Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock
– Bathgate and Linlithgow
– Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy
– Cumbernauld and Kirkintilloch
– Dumfries and Galloway
– Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale
– Edinburgh East and Musselburgh
– Edinburgh North and Leith
– Edinburgh South
– Edinburgh South West
– Glenrothes and Mid Fife
– Glasgow East
– Glasgow South
– Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire
– Livingston
– Lothian East
– Mid Dunbartonshire
– Midlothian
– Stirling and Strathallan
Nowhere were the Reform UK Party Ltd leads more surprising than in Central Scotland, where Reform UK Party Ltd outperformed the Conservatives in key battlegrounds with established local representatives and organisational capacity.
Unknown Reform UK Party Ltd candidates, like Keith Barrow in Falkirk, Fiona McCrae in Coatbridge and Bellshill, and Robert McLaughlin in Motherwell, Wishaw, and Carluke, performed notably well despite lacking public photos, bios, social media presence, personalised campaign material, or in-person campaigning. This adds to the mystery of ghost candidates in several key battlegrounds that that gave the Conservatives a run for their money…
Here are the votes for these seats:
- Falkirk (Keith Barrow): 5,432 votes – missing out on surpassing the Conservatives to third place by just 201 votes
- Coatbridge and Bellshill (Fiona McCrae): 4,987 votes – leading the Conservatives to take third place by 1,219
- Motherwell, Wishaw, and Carluke (Robert McLaughlin): 6,245 votes – also a commanding lead over Conservatives to take third place by 589
Missing candidates
Reform UK Party Ltd has left entire constituencies shrouded in mystery, with no public information about any candidates. This alarming lack of transparency begs the question: what is happening behind the scenes?
The following constituencies are left with ghost candidates with no available information:
– Aberdeen South
– Coatbridge and Bellshill
– East Kilbride and Strathaven
– Falkirk
– Glasgow North
– Glasgow North East
– Glasgow South West
– Glasgow West
– Hamilton and Clyde
– Motherwell, Wishaw and Carluke
Social media presence
Reform UK Party Ltd online presence is predominantly through a Facebook page named Reform UK Party Ltd Scotland, with 2.6k followers. Only 28 candidates have been actively promoted online, leading to concerns about the visibility and engagement of many other candidates.
Supporter concerns are evident in various posts on Reform UK Party Ltd forums:
- Susan Jane, July 2: “Where is a picture of our Falkirk rep?”
- Robert Wilkie, July 2: “If for any reason your candidate has pulled out or defected to another party, STILL vote Reform. Your vote will still count. They should still be on the ballot paper. Nigel tweeted this.”
- Elizabeth Farmer, July 2: “Where are REFORM candidates standing in Scotland?”
- Reply from admin: “A lot of candidates were chosen at the last minute and won’t have had time to organise a campaign.”
Such posts reflect the confusion and uncertainty among Reform UK Party Ltd supporters regarding candidate visibility and availability.
Candidate representation
A growing trend emerged where a significant number of candidates, from Glasgow to Inverness, are choosing to represent themselves as their own election agents. This indicates a potential lack of trust in the support system provided by Reform UK Party Ltd for its candidates.
Address discrepancies
The Electoral Commission guidance states:
“Your agent must have an office address to which any legal notices can be delivered and therefore must be a physical address – PO boxes or similar mailboxes cannot be used.”
Verification of candidate addresses has been problematic, revealing several instances of non-compliance with Electoral Commission rules:
- Stirling: Bill McDonald
- North East Fife: David Wren
- Glenrothes: Ian Smith
- Dunfermline and Dollar: Udo Van der Brock
All listed a PO box address, violating electoral regulations.
Invalid office listings
There are other cases where the listed addresses for election offices were found to be business premises such as:
- Falkirk: Keith Barrow one of the unknown candidates, listed the Blackfaulds House, Westfield Road, Avonbridge FK1 2JZ which is a registered nursing home.
Inconsistent address listings
Thomas David Stark, often known as David Stark, has been a central figure in the management of Reform UK Party Ltd candidates. Stark has listed multiple addresses while acting as the election agent for various candidates, further complicating the situation:
- Cumbernauld and Kirkintilloch: Stark listed his home address and election office as 90 Whitelees Road, Cumbernauld G67 3NJ for candidate Billy Ross.
- North West Leicestershire: Stark used his home address at 83 Laurel Drive, Wishaw ML2 7RD for candidate Lisa Judge.
– East Kilbride and Strathaven: Stark listed yet another different home address at 20 Rodger Place, Rutherglen G73 2AX for candidate David Mills.
When Stark himself stood as a candidate in Rutherglen, he used his own address at 20 Rodger Place, Rutherglen G73 2AX. These inconsistencies add to the confusion surrounding Reform’s candidate management practices.
Reform UK Party Ltd Scotland’s response
Following my investigations, Reform UK Party Ltd Scotland has made sweeping changes to their website. The easy and accessible page allowing users to search for their parliamentary hopefuls has vanished without a trace. In its place, a section titled “Scottish Parliament 2026” has become more prominent, listing contact information for each regional area with names listed in this article and prior. This section prominently features a call-to-action button, urgently inviting potential candidates to step forward for the Scottish Parliamentary election. This abrupt shift raises serious questions about the party’s transparency, the true state of their candidate line-up, and marks a clear move on their new set of ambitions.
The new imprint on the website states:
Published and promoted by M. Greene on behalf of:
Reform UK
15 Forth Street
Glasgow
G41 2SP
In my previous article, I demonstrated that this address has no connection to Reform UK Party Ltd. The only political connection on Forth Street is the Glasgow Alba Party.
Martyn Greene, the Scotland Manager, has a controversial background with the Scientific Alliance, an organisation criticised for climate change scepticism. David Stark, who was the election agent for the recent Glasgow candidates, no longer appears attached on the imprint.
The website also hosts five new position or policy papers, which differ from previous Reform UK Party Ltd material and messaging. These policy papers cover a range of topics, from banning smoking in public places and COVID lockdown restrictions to increasing the number of petrol stations and removing environmental restrictions for farming. The materials are promoted by David Kirkwood, who has drawn attention for his controversial online behaviour, including interactions with far-right figures.
Fundraising Issues
I have revealed that Reform UK Party Ltd Scotland regional parties are using crowdfunding platforms like GoFundMe and Crowdfunder, which has raised significant concerns about transparency and legality for reporting.
- GoFundMe: This platform allows donors to keep their addresses secret, donate from abroad, and contribute amounts without accurate reporting. Organisers are required to include rules and disclaimers from the Electoral Commission, but this is not always effectively enforced.
- Crowdfunder: While this platform requires full address information from donors, it also faces issues with accurate reporting. Organisers are similarly required to raise rules and disclaimers from the Electoral Commission.
These practices have raised serious concerns about the transparency and legality of the fundraising activities of Reform UK Ltd Scotland regional parties.
Specific Campaigns:
- GoFundMe Campaign by Steve Skerrett: Steve Skerrett, the Reform UK Ltd Highlands and Islands Organiser, set up a GoFundMe page two days after the general election for the Scottish Parliamentary elections. The fundraiser, titled “Help Reform UK Scotland Elect Candidates for Holyrood 2026,” has raised only £100 out of a £5,000 goal and does not mention Electoral Commission rules regarding donations.
- Crowdfunder Campaign by Alastair Majury: Alastair Majury, the Reform UK Ltd Mid Scotland & Fife Organiser, created a Crowdfunder page titled “Support Mid Scotland & Fife Reform UK Scotland.” This campaign has raised £488 and does not mention Electoral Commission rules regarding donations.
These examples underscore the need for stricter regulations and greater transparency in political crowdfunding to ensure compliance with election laws and maintain public trust.
Electoral Commission requirements
The Electoral Commission’s guidelines state:
– Candidates must only accept donations from permissible sources, such as individuals on the electoral register or UK-registered companies.
– Donations of money, goods, property, or services over £50 for candidates, and over £500 for parties, must be reported.
– Multiple donations from the same source that exceed these limits must be treated as one donation.
– Candidates must ensure they have enough information from crowdfunding providers to identify if multiple donations come from the same source and keep proper records.
These issues within Reform UK Party Ltd fundraising practices potentially undermine the integrity of their financial support mechanisms and raise serious questions about compliance with electoral regulations.
When asked for comment the Electoral Commission reaffirmed the guidance as set out above with attached links.
Reform UK Party Ltd Scottish representatives have yet to comment further on the investigations.
However, they have removed the imprint on the website promoting the non-existent office, as I previously investigated. This was one of the issues we asked for comment on, which may be taken as an acknowledgment.
Farage’s Reform UK Party Ltd is set to receive millions of pounds in taxpayer “Short money” funding due to its success at the general election. Short money, provided to opposition parties to help cover their parliamentary duties, greatly benefits Reform UK Party Ltd. By standing in all constituencies, outperforming the opposition, and winning seats, the party can access substantial public funds, raising serious concerns about the allocation of taxpayer money to support its agenda.
Could this be the reason behind all constituencies being covered with unknown candidates and hidden offices? All eyes are focused on financial returns from online donation drives for regulations and the new site geared up for Scottish Parliamentary elections.
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