[link removed]

John,

This week, Reform UK candidates exposed their lack of principles – and they did it live on camera.

Documentarian Chris Atkins got three Reform candidates on the record condemning the specific actions of their colleagues.

All he had to was concoct a fake far-right news organisation, Patriot News UK, and pretend the scandals were carried out by councillors from other parties.

Bailey Nash-Gardner, standing in Romford (and separately the owner of the massive Politics UK ‘X’ account), was told a story about his Reform colleague’s failure to declare business interests properly. But he was told that it was a Conservative, when it was actually Reform Mayoral candidate Laila Cunningham. “Obviously that’s absolutely wrong,” Nash-Gardner said.

Mark Hall, standing for re-election in Harlow, was told that a Labour councillor was fined for hiring an illegal immigrant. “They deserve to be caught like every other member of the public and dealt with probably more severely,” Hall said. In reality the man fined was Durham Reform councillor Andrew Harrison.
[link removed]

It made for an entertaining video, but it had a deadly serious point.

Many politicians – and it’s really not just limited to Reform UK – no longer seem to truly believe in much. Principles and standards in public life are merely weapons to wield against one’s enemies. Scandals only matter when you can use them to pull one over on your opponent. It’s hollow point-scoring all the way down.

This win-at-all-cost mindset is a defining feature of this political establishment. One enabled by a concoction of weak regulation, limited accountability, and the incentives created by First-Past-The-Post elections.

The same conditions shape other behaviours too - from misleading campaigning, to conflicts of interest and second jobs. It’s all connected.

It’s the very system Reform UK loves to rail against. But Atkins shows us that they’re just as much a part of it as anyone else. In fact, they’re probably the most extreme incarnation of it that we’ve seen to date.

But we at Open Britain still believe that a values-based, ethical politics is possible in this country. That we can have principled leaders with standards, people who say what they believe and believe what they say. A proportional democracy that encourages compromise over dishonesty, and a binding standard of ethics.

Imagine where we’d be today if we had a political system like that.

That’s what we’re fighting for, and if you’re with us on this, we really do appreciate your support ([link removed]) .

All the best,

Matt Gallagher

Communications Officer

Open Britain
SUPPORT OUR WORK ([link removed])

View email in browser ([link removed]) (don’t share this link)
Open Britain . Orion House . 14 Barn Hill . Stamford, PE9 2AE . United Kingdom
Donate ([link removed]) | Update your preferences ([link removed]) | Unsubscribe ([link removed]) | Privacy ([link removed])