Was your Reform candidate a fake?

[noblegiraffe]

We know that the election was called unexpectedly and that small parties had to rush around last minute to find people to stand in all the constituencies. We know that Reform had problems with (lack of) vetting and some of theirs had to be dropped mid-campaign due to being problematic.

I saw a couple of amusing videos on twitter about someone worried that their Glaswegian Reform candidate Helen Burns didn't actually exist
https://x.com/kbfilms92/status/1808772750938448124?s=61&t=U9XrcF693-JpMxeIueYG7g
https://x.com/kbfilms92/status/1808857245456773492?s=61&t=U9XrcF693-JpMxeIueYG7g

This morning I see that the North Northumberland Reform candidate Katherine Hales was suspiciously absent from all proceedings.

https://x.com/josiahmortimer/status/1809583328049168541?s=61&t=U9XrcF693-JpMxeIueYG7g

Clifford Ronald Thomas Bond in York Central also had no photos and the same generic leaflet as Helen Burns.

Helen Burns got 1655 votes, Katherine Hales got 7688 votes, Cliff Bond got 4721 votes. These start stacking up when you are talking about vote share and they're not the only missing candidates.

Did your Reform candidate appear to be a real person standing for election? Are there rules requiring people standing for election to actually do anything apart from be a name on paper? It seems suspicious, particularly if that party is now banging on about their vote share, if it came via dodgy means.

Ours was real and had previously been our UKIP candidate in the 2015 election. He attended the count.

https://x.com/brexit_sham/status/1810444077324017975?t=IJwmh5F2sLQCEcmLiOI4tA&s=19

He actually looks like his AI version.

Haven't laughed so much at a thread for a long time. It's not really a laughing matter though, all the same.

So his photo wasn't AI generated, just heavily, heavily manipulated. 'I gave myself a reform coloured tie'? And massively more hair, mate. And filtered to fuck.

For comparison

Where's that pic from Noble?

This is under investigation. It wouldn't be the first time that either one or all of the ten voters who vouched for the candidate didn't actually know they had as they'd been faked.

Mark Matlock posted a video https://x.com/vote4markreform/status/1810440191074869717?s=61&t=U9XrcF693-JpMxeIueYG7g

We are Cramlington and killingworth. It’s been a running joke he is fake as he’s never been seen but I’m pretty disgusted if it’s true and he’s fake. Nearly 10,000 people voted for him.

Yes, just found it on GB News. I think all the post dating of evidence is interesting - with Reform stickers everywhere! There's no denying that guy exists. It doesn't make him actually really Mark Matlock. No one yet has said they know him, right?

Dear me. It would have been a bit unnerving if he had turned up at the count.

Now now Noble, they look exactly the same...

if you close your eyes. 🤣🤣

Now that the issue of the AI photo has been clarified (it is merely heavily doctored), I hope attention turns to the candidates who have no photo or online presence.

Given that people were able to track a real Mark Matlock down (antiques company), as well as there being an active Twitter account, there was at least a human somewhere both real and with the name, and (separately) interacting with people as the candidate. I assume that the papers have verified his name and address.

The Guardian says that at least one person with the right name and location say that they weren’t the candidate, so it’s not just a matter of finding someone with that name in the right area.

And I’m wondering if some provided a fake name so that googling their real name wouldn’t link them to Reform.

Oh dear Tice is threatening to sue people
https://x.com/itvpeston/status/1810419823643439139

In the comments

So, basically their whole strategy was to flood virtually very constituency with people who had no intention at all of doing any public service to get their vote share up so they could claim huge popularity and push for PR. I don't think most voters know this...

Is Tara Williams admitting that the candidate for South Dorset doesn’t exist by saying no one put themselves forward before the deadline there, Cassie?

‘Rehearsal for proportional representation’ is at least honest in their motives.

Wow, this stinks.

They literally can't find enough really ardent and capable people to be MPs but basically they pretend they can.

Personally, I think this makes a mockery of democracy, and any real claim to their being a 'big' party.

Note: I am aware Green have done this in the past, too - although ,as a less wealthy party, to a lesser extent.

Looks like it!

So presumably he will have to produce these candidates in court?

The Greens are quite open about fielding paper candidates though - it gets them free air time on national TV for one thing.

https://nfgp.org.uk/why-be-a-green-party-paper-candidate-at-a-local-election/

I think there is a difference between a paper candidate and a made up candidate.

The 10 people signing to say they know the made up candidate would be committing fraud for starters.

It also would give an impression that a party had more widespread support than it in reality has. Which seems deceptive.

To answer my own question about fake names, their real name has to be on their candidate declaration, as well as the name they want to appear on the ballot (commonly known as).

e.g. Binface

He is looking quite well for someone ill with pneumonia

Wtf

Didn't he miss the count because he was in hospital with pneumonia? All of 5 days ago. NHS coming in leaps and bounds since Labour got in