Nigel Farage has finally confirmed what sounds like a parody but is, depressingly, real: Reform UK candidates are being vetted by Jeremy Kyle. Yes. That Jeremy Kyle.
Speaking at a rally in Newport, Farage proudly revealed that prospective candidates have been put through the party’s vetting process by being “interviewed” by the former daytime TV host. This, apparently, is Reform UK’s idea of ensuring someone is fit for public office: a grilling from a man whose career was built on public humiliation, shouting matches, and lie detectors masquerading as truth.
Kyle, now a presenter on TalkTV, rose to prominence through The Jeremy Kyle Show — a programme so toxic it was permanently taken off air in 2019 after guest Steve Dymond (see inset) took his own life shortly after appearing on it. The show had long been criticised for exploiting vulnerable people for entertainment, but it took a death for the broadcaster to finally pull the plug.
Farage claims he brought Kyle in after learning “lessons” from UKIP’s past elections, where a string of candidates turned out to be, in his own words, “wholly unsuitable”. This is a remarkable admission from a man who has spent decades blaming everyone but himself for the consequences of his political projects.
One might assume the lesson learned would involve stronger background checks, robust safeguarding, or even basic competence testing. Instead, Reform UK appears to have concluded that the solution to extremist cranks and liabilities is… outsourcing candidate selection to an extremist crank.
“All of these people will be standing,” Farage said.
“They’ve all been to London for media training or media scrutiny. Jeremy Kyle interviewing them all. Can you imagine?”
Unfortunately, we don’t have to.
Farage insists these candidates have been “put through their paces” and “vetted heavily” ahead of May’s local and Senedd elections. If this is what heavy vetting looks like, it raises an obvious question: vetted for what, exactly? Electoral competence? Emotional resilience? Or simply the ability to survive being barked at by a man famous for shouting “GET OFF MY STAGE”?
This episode tells you everything you need to know about Reform UK’s standards for public office. A party that treats politics like entertainment will inevitably recruit candidates who belong on television, just not anywhere near power.
