Common Questions

What has HOPE not hate said about Reform UK candidates?: HOPE not hate described Reform UK's candidate vetting as nil, citing the 65 of 677 elected Reform councillors who had quit, defected, or been expelled within a year.Source: uk-elections-2026
What does HOPE not hate do?: HOPE not hate researches and campaigns against FAR-right movements in the UK, producing the annual State of Hate report and monitoring parties from the BNP to Reform UK.Source: uk-elections-2026
Which Reform UK candidates were found on the BNP membership list?: HOPE not hate named David Prior (Gateshead Saltwell), George Parnell (Hampshire Fleet Town and Fleet Central), and John Black (Blackburn with Darwen Little Harwood and Whitebirk) on 25 April 2026. All three were expelled by Reform, though their names remain on ballot papers.Source: HOPE not hate
What is HOPE not hate and how does it investigate candidates?: HOPE not hate is a UK anti-fascist charity founded in 2004 that researches FAR-right movements. It cross-references current candidate lists against historical membership records from organisations including the BNP to identify potential extremist links.Source: HOPE not hate
How many Reform UK councillors left the party after the 2025 elections?: 65 of the 677 Reform UK councillors elected in 2025 had quit, defected, or been expelled by April 2026, according to HuffPost UK. HOPE not hate described the party's candidate vetting process as 'nil'.Source: HuffPost UK / HOPE not hate

Background

HOPE not hate is a UK-based anti-racism and anti-fascist organisation that researches, monitors, and campaigns against FAR-right movements and political extremism. Founded in 2004, it produces annual State of Hate reports, runs campaigns against FAR-right candidates, and provides research to media organisations and parliamentarians. Its assessments carry weight because the organisation has tracked predecessor movements to current parties — including the BNP and UKIP — for over two decades.

In the 2026 election cycle, HOPE not hate has been central to two significant disclosures about Reform UK. In April 2026 it described Reform's candidate vetting as 'nil' in reporting that 65 of 677 Reform councillors elected in 2025 had quit, defected, or been expelled within a year — including cold-calling a sitting Bromley councillor to stand as a paper candidate five days before nominations closed. On 25 April 2026, HOPE not hate published a report naming three Reform UK 2026 candidates — David Prior (Gateshead Saltwell), George Parnell (Hampshire Fleet Town and Fleet Central), and John Black (Blackburn with Darwen Little Harwood and Whitebirk) — as appearing on a leaked 2007-2008 BNP membership and contacts list. Reform confirmed all three were expelled, but their names remain on printed ballot papers.

HOPE not hate operates as a registered charity and accepts no party political funding. Its BNP-list methodology of cross-referencing historical membership data against current candidate lists has proven legally robust and widely cited.

Source Material

Hope not Hate HOPE not hate

How the World Sees Them

Reform UK

Disputes HOPE not hate's characterisation of its vetting process; has acted on the BNP-list disclosure by expelling all three named candidates.

Civil society

HOPE not hate's methodology of cross-referencing historical membership data with live candidate lists is regarded as a legitimate due-diligence tool in an election context.