📢 Welcome to the fifth edition of Reform Watch

Reform says one thing and does another

Zia Yusuf, Chairman of Reform UK, has pointed out a problem with renters’ rights. If you are one of the millions of people in this country who rent your home, you can be evicted by your landlord for no good reason. This is called a Section 21 notice. Even if you have not broken the terms of your contract, your landlord can evict you with a “no-fault” notice.

Yusuf, in a recent podcast interview, said:

“People are being turfed out of their houses, including — and I’ve got confirmation of this — veterans who are suffering from PTSD.”

He made the point while claiming (without providing evidence) that landlords are handing out Section 21 notices to replace tenants with asylum seekers. Yusuf said this was

“the sum of all fears in terms of unfairness and just a diabolical way to treat your citizens”.

Although he has not provided any evidence that this is in fact happening, Yusuf is right to point out the precarious living situation that all tenants face. Section 21 benefits greedy landlords who can make people homeless in exchange for new tenants paying more money.

As it just so happens, the Renters’ Rights Bill has been working its way through parliament. It will abolish Section 21. If Reform has been so worried about no-fault evictions, surely its MPs would vote in favour of this bill?

Wrong! Richard Tice, James McMurdock and Rupert Lowe (back in January, when he was still in the party) all voted against the bill. Nigel Farage and Lee Anderson didn’t even bother to show up for the most recent vote.

“Affordable homes for hard-working British people,” is in Reform’s manifesto. If only they meant it.

🤬 Charlton Edwards is Reform’s new treasurer and secretary

What kind of leader is he? If his X account is anything to go by, pretty odd. He has shared a post saying “we should de-Islamicise our societies”, called the climate crisis “a dangerous, malicious myth”, and reposted a conspiracy theory that Covid vaccines are a “bioweapon” that have “killed millions”. Edwards has been promoted under Reform’s drive to professionalise the party. Just the man for the job!

👻 Speaking of which… TV ghosthunter David Bull is Reform’s new chairman. On Good Morning Britain, he said he believes in ghosts and when filming an episode of Most Haunted Live! was strangled by a psychic who had been possessed by an evil spirit. Reform’s professionalisation continues apace.

🤦‍♀️ Reform has lost nine of its new councillors

There has already been a spate of resignations, suspensions and expulsions since the elections last month. Bye-bye Mark Broadhurst, in Doncaster, whose Facebook post about Hitler was uncovered by HOPE not hate. Farewell, also, to Wayne Titley in Staffs who called for the shooting of Channel migrants. It’s been a turbulent year for Reform: they booted out an MP (Rupert Lowe), ejected a chairman (Ben Habib) and briefly lost another (Zia Yusuf).

🛶 Where in the world is Farage’s boat?

The latest register of interests for MPs was released this week, and Farage’s vessel is nowhere to be seen. “I own a commercial fishing boat,” he said in a recent TV interview, adding that he was “heavily invested” in the fishing industry. So why hasn’t he declared it?

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