goodlawproject

@goodlawproject · Twitter ·

The award-winning journalist Peter Geoghegan has been excluded from Reform UK’s conference. Why is Nigel Farage’s electoral vehicle so afraid of scrutiny? https://democracyforsale.substack.com/p/ive-been-banned-by-reform-farage-tice-conference-crick-isaac

But Reform’s approach goes beyond simply excluding journalists from its conferences. The party routinely refuses to engage with journalists it regards as critical. I’ve spoken to one reporter who has been accredited for Birmingham but whose requests for invites to party press conferences and details of briefings are stonewalled. Even more importantly, Reform has also taken to refusing to even acknowledge questions it doesn’t like. Which can make the process of reporting legally fraught if you’re making serious allegations. As Sunday Times journalist Gabriel Pogrund discovered when he started reporting on Richard Tice’s tax affairs, Reform doesn’t “accept the premise of basic scrutiny”. Reform donor Arron Banks has been bragging about putting private intelligence operatives onto Pogrund. Reform supporters have also repeatedly targeted critics online.