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Reform UK's Hammersmith and Fulham branch approached residents to stand as ‘paper’ candidates in the upcoming council elections and advised them if successful they have the option to “resign immediately”. The email, seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), described a paper candidate as “someone who stands for Reform UK in a ward but does no active campaigning”.
It added the aim is to maximise the party’s total votes and send a “strong message” to the Labour-run local council. Cllr Jose Afonso, Leader of the Conservative opposition group in Hammersmith and Fulham, accused Reform of having “no policies” and relying on “cold-calling strangers” to put forward a full slate of candidates.
A Reform UK spokesperson said the email was not authorised by the party's HQ nor does it condone its contents. They also denied residents have been emailed or cold-called, and that the only people approached are paid-up members or those who have explicitly consented to being contacted by the party.
Reform UK’s approach of asking people to stand as paper candidates for the upcoming local elections has previously been reported by outlets including The Guardian. The paper revealed how individuals, including one of its own journalists, had been contacted by Reform asking them to stand ahead of Thursday's (April 9) deadline.
The LDRS has been told of several residents in Hammersmith and Fulham who have allegedly been either rung or emailed by the party. One of them, David Tarsh, said he had received at least two or three phone calls as well as a number of generic emails.
He said he has never joined Reform, and that while sympathetic to some of the party's views such as on low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs), he did not want to stand in-part due to what he claimed are its “racist tendencies”.
Mr Tarsh told the LDRS: "I am sympathetic to Reform’s stance on LTNs, bike lanes and anti-motoring measures and its economic position on Net Zero.
"Anti-motoring measures have been imposed on the public with insufficient debate and proper consultation; and in my personal experience the authorities responsible, LBHF (Hammersmith and Fulham Council) and Transport for London (TfL) have been disgracefully duplicitous in their words and their actions.”
Mr Tarsh noted in particular a survey the council commissioned on the South Fulham Clean Air Neighbourhood (CAN), which the Market Research Society found breached four industry rules. A council spokesperson previously said the "overwhelming majority" of South Fulham residents had made their position clear on the CAN, and had asked the local authority to "reduce congestion and pollution in their neighbourhood".
Mr Tarsh also claimed the C9 cycle lane in Hammersmith, which the council approved to make permanent in 2023, has proven to be "massively more dangerous" than not having it, and accused TfL of using "flawed traffic modelling" and acting "duplicitously" regarding the Holland Park roundabout scheme.
"Neither the Tories nor the Lib Dems are free of blame either," he continued. "Boris was responsible for dreadful traffic measures in the pandemic; and the Lib Dems are responsible for the awful traffic schemes in Oxford.
"In this context, it is not surprising that voters feel deeply disenfranchised by all the mainstream parties and want an alternative that doesn’t deliberately mislead them. I believe this explains Reform’s surge in the polls. You might therefore think that I’d be very keen on Reform. However, I just can’t abide its racist tendencies and stance on immigration."
In the email requesting people stand as paper candidates, authored by Reform’s Hammersmith and Fulham branch chair Dr Olivia Feng, it was written that the intention is to give voters the opportunity to back the party in every seat.
In one section it read: “Many people do this purely to support the party and are even given assurances there’s no real risk of being elected in safe Labour wards.”
The email, which was sent out in early February, stated there is no door-knocking, leafleting or speeches required, and that if vetted, as “most members are”, the individual would be contacted by Reform to sign a nomination form.
Under a header asking what would happen if a candidate wins but does not want to serve as a councillor, it read: "First, rest assured that we won't place paper candidates in winnable seats—we specifically assign them to safe Labour wards where the chances of a Reform UK candidate winning are extremely low, and virtually unheard of without active campaigning. Our goal is simply to give voters a Reform option and build our presence.
"That said, if the unexpected happens and you are elected, you have full control over your next steps. UK election rules allow you to resign immediately by submitting a simple written notice to the council's Proper Officer."
If a councillor stands down a by-election is held, organised by the local authority. Mr Tarsh said the email suggested Reform have “more money than support”.
Cllr Afonso said: “Reform UK in Hammersmith and Fulham are an unserious force who cannot hide their contempt for democracy. They stand for nothing locally, have no policies and are so desperate they can’t even get a full slate of candidates without cold-calling strangers.
“On May 7 voters in Hammersmith and Fulham will have the choice between a strong Conservative administration with a plan or a Labour-Green coalition of chaos wrecking our borough. A vote for Reform is a vote to wreck the future of the borough.”
A spokesperson for Reform UK said: "This email was not authorised or issued by Reform HQ, nor do we condone its contents.
"Whilst paper candidates are a longstanding and common part of our political system utilised by all political parties, we make it clear that any Reform candidate is expected to represent their ward to the best of their ability if elected."
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