Don’t sing Danny Boy, just whisper that Lois is a London derrière

NOTE: This article was published on 27 September 2024Well, we didn’t see that one coming: The mayfly-lifespan UKIP leader Lois Perry – who resigned during the general election just a few weeks after being elected – has announced that she is joining Fiore! Italian criminal and long-time Searchlight sparring partner Roberto Fiore moved out of…

NOTE: This article was published on 27 September 2024

Well, we didn’t see that one coming: The mayfly-lifespan UKIP leader Lois Perry – who resigned during the general election just a few weeks after being elected – has announced that she is joining Fiore!

Italian criminal and long-time Searchlight sparring partner Roberto Fiore moved out of London long ago, and very much runs the neo-fascist Forza Nuova from his homeland. Is Lois emigrating?

Perry’s Car26 fanbase can breathe a sigh of relief. It’s not the Italian nazi who has signed her up at all. She has become, she says, ”the face and legs of lingerie and hosiery brand fiore UK”. Not bad going for someone who was supposed to be wasting away from pneumonia just a few months ago.

This still has us a touch puzzled, though, as both Fiore-UK and the associated Simply Hosiery are listed at Companies House as ’dormant’ companies. Our guess is that she means she’s the UK-specific derrière for scanties specialists Fiore Sp based in, er, Łódź, Poland. But maybe we have our underwires crossed somewhere.

Still, with the convict Roberto apparently nowhere in this picture, Lois is free to remain seemingly obsessed with Nomad Nigel, whose name she contrives to squeeze even into this frilly little announcement. ”It’s a slight departure from leading Nigel Farage’s old party,” she says, when she might more easily have simply typed ’UKIP’.

There seems little doubt that Lois feels she has found her Superman. Our advice is that he will prove unreliable the moment any kryptonite hits the fan – but that’s her lookout.


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

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

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

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

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

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

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