UKIP and Laurence Fox in London mayor ‘liar’ spat

NOTE: This article was published on 8 January 2024 Putting aside all his legal difficulties – a libel case and arrest on suspicion of conspiring to commit criminal damage – Reclaim Party boss Laurence Fox is contemplating a run for Mayor of London. But a January tweet to that effect, including the claim that “It…

NOTE: This article was published on 8 January 2024

Putting aside all his legal difficulties – a libel case and arrest on suspicion of conspiring to commit criminal damage – Reclaim Party boss Laurence Fox is contemplating a run for Mayor of London. But a January tweet to that effect, including the claim that “It is always my wish to collaborate with the other small parties, but they have refused” has gone down rather badly with, well, other “small parties”.

In particular, UKIP Deputy Leader Rebecca ‘Barbie’ Jane is still smarting from trying to cut a deal with him during the Uxbridge by election. She’d schmoozed him rotten and thought he’d agreed not to run against her when, at the last minute, he announced his candidacy. She ended up with 61 votes to his 714 and the fiasco seriously damaged her standing in UKIP.

Now she’s had it with him: “Sure… run for Mayor” she spits back, ” But please stop lying about ‘wanting to collaborate with smaller parties.’ The country doesn’t need more liars”. Given that UKIP assigned her the job of exploring closer ties with other “small parties”, things are not looking too rosy on the unity front.

Small wonder then, that Richard Tice’s Reform UK, the larger of the far right “small parties” which has already announced that it is running a candidate for London mayor, will have nothing to do with either of them.


Paul Holborow

Paul Holborow

In the campaign against the National Front, Searchlight provided a rich and utterly reliable basis for much ANL propaganda – particularly with reference to the two leading NF figures, John Tyndall and Martin Webster. The appearance of Tyndall in full nazi uniform, drawn from the archives of Searchlight, was a key part of ANL propaganda, coupled with deeply damaging nazi quotes from Webster.

Paul Holborow
Founding member of the ANL and National Organiser 1977-81

Nick Davies

Nick Davies

To investigate fascists takes real courage and unusual commitment. The government, police, mainstream media occasionally take a look, but in the UK only Searchlight have kept at it, relentlessly and admirably, regardless of threat or obstacle. It’s journalism that matters. A rare thing.

Nick Davies
Multi-award-winning investigative journalist and writer

Peter Hain

Peter Hain, founder of the ANL and friend of Searchlight

British Jews have been persecuted over the centuries; British blacks since the Windrush generation of the 1950s; British Muslims, especially after the Islamist 9/11 and then 7/7 terrorist attacks in New York 2001 and London 2005. But until the last few years there has not been a simultaneous threat against all three British communities of Jewish, Black and Muslim Britons – meaning the need for Searchlight has never been greater.

Peter Hain
Labour peer, former MP and Cabinet Minster

Alf Dubs

Lord Alf Dubs

Searchlight’s voice is more important than ever, and I am delighted that it will now be available to a wider audience than ever before in its new incarnation online. Searchlight has been extremely helpful over the years in exposing the far right, corruption, criminality and the murky links between organised crime and powerful interests in the UK and abroad. I wish Searchlight the very best.

Alf Dubs
Labour peer, former MP and Cabinet Minister, and Kindertransport child

Paul Nowak

Paul Nowak

The essence of trade unionism is solidarity, fairness and equality – for all workers – from all backgrounds. That’s why our fight against the far-right has always been part of our movement’s DNA. Searchlight is an incredibly important resource for trade unions and members to understand the contemporary tactics of far-right activity. Their work and intelligence gathering over the years have been incredibly insightful for the work we do, and how we fight the scourge of fascism.

Paul Nowak
TUC General Secretary

Professor Colin Holmes

Professor Colin Holmes
Everyone who wants to understand contemporary racism and its historical background needs to read Searchlight.
Professor Colin Holmes
University of Sheffield

Top ten most read

4 responses to “UKIP and Laurence Fox in London mayor ‘liar’ spat”

  1. John Vow

    But, UKIP’s Junta has stubbornly kept on maintaining and publishing it is a massive gigantic humungous party with countless thousands of members, even telling that to its governing executive and board of directors, both of which the Permanent Chairman had on May 10th, 2021 rendered impotent and pointess.

    While I don’t observe that booming support happening at all in my neck of the woods, everyone having left except me, they called out Nation Cymru as being liars for stating that true membership is in the hundreds.

    But here, UKIP’s Honourable Leader-in-Waiting is declaring that UKIP is a tiny party.

    Isn’t she implying that its Dear Great Leader and Erstwhile National Chairman JP were being economical with the actualité?

    Could that even be possible, with two people of such spotless reputations for integrity and truthfulness?

    I think Barbie’s share of the legacies may need an uplift, or there could be trouble at mill on the 14th.

  2. Moss Tin

    Minutes ago, I was tipped off that the lifelong chairman of Ukip is about to appear on GB Noise, with a BIG earth-shittering Announcement.
    It cannot have much to do with Ukip, Ukip is an irrelevance, except to the person skimming the money.
    Could it be, he is about to be sent down, amazing he has not been done already, so needs to move on?
    This would be, in the longer term, Most Wonderful News for all his many sprogs.
    The Best Possible Gift for them would be to be able to grow up honourable, freed from a corrupting criminal paternal influence.

  3. Laugh at Losers

    https://www.ukip.org/leadership-election-2024/
    “2024 UKIP Leadership Election”
    Applications close in 46 Days 23 Hours 37 Mins 40 Sex”

    Tony Blair’s best helper, who in 1997 handed Labour its greatest majority ever, has been put out to pasture, at last.

  4. Jeff

    Poor little Rebecca, I genuinely feel for her.

    Duped by conmen.

    I hope she will now contact those who have collected steadily evidence about the lying criminal or criminals running fewkip.

    Their imprisonment for fraud and theft and confiscation of all assets as proceeds, the only acceptable outcome.