Eight Reform UK candidates have made a wide range of offensive remarks online about women in the past, the BBC can reveal.
The remarks include disparaging comments about the murdered MP Jo Cox, former Prime Minister Theresa May, and a black reality TV contestant.
The comments were posted between 2011 and 2023.
Reform UK and the candidates involved have all been approached for comment.
Earlier this week, the party said it planned to sue a company it hired to vet potential MPs.
This article contains strong language.
Among the candidates whose comments the BBC has uncovered is Simon Moorehead, standing in Inverclyde and Renfrewshire West, who wrote on X: “[Jo] Cox was a dreadful woman, with bad ideas”.
He then added: “No-one wanted her dead though”.
- You can see a full list of candidates for the Inverclyde and Renfrewshire West constituency here.
Mark Cole, the candidate in Harwich and North Essex, said in a Facebook post: “Accidently switched on to X-Factory. The only thing worth watching is the black bint…. whoever she is.”
Mr Cole deleted this comment after being approached by the BBC.
- You can see a full list of candidates for the Harwich and North Essex constituency here.
Emmett Jenner, the candidate for Ynys Mon, who shared a post from Conservative Party Headquarters which read: “PM: I want girls who are growing up today to know that they can achieve anything they want.”
Mr Jenner commented on the post: “Like fertilising eggs & providing Y chromosomes.”
In response to a request for comment, Mr Jenner told the BBC: “That is/was a parody account and you can see it is taking the Michael out of the Conservatives.
“I wouldn’t take anything on there at face value, it’s all deliberately provocative windups meant to elicit embarrassing responses.”
- You can see a full list of candidates for the Ynys Mon constituency here.
