George Woodward, a candidate for Reform UK standing in the Leigh and Atherton constituency, is facing online ridicule after citing an airport experience as his reason for concern about migration.
In an interview with The News Agents podcast, Woodward stated that migration needed to be "reexamined," a realization he claims to have had while passing through an airport arrivals lounge.
Woodward explained that his decision to run as a Reform candidate was driven by his concerns about "the state of the country."
Interviewer Lewis Goodall asked Woodward the following question:
"What was it that made you decide you wanted to get involved?"
Woodward responded:
"It was the state of the country, I think. Mainly migration is what drives me to get involved."
“I had a moment last year I was coming through an airport. It was the arrivals, you know, the British border. And I was like wow, you know, there’s a lot of people coming in here. And we need to re-examine this.”
Goodall pointed out the obvious:
“What, the airport? Lots of those were probably tourists, presumably, or British people coming from abroad.”
To that, Woodward said:
“Some, absolutely. Some not. So, you can tell.”
You can hear what he said in the video below.
Woodward's remarks were swiftly mocked.
Reform UK is a right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom.
Originally founded in November 2018 as the Brexit Party, it advocated for a no-deal Brexit and won the 2019 European Parliament election in the UK. However, it did not secure any seats in the 2019 general election.
After the UK's withdrawal from the EU in January 2020, the party rebranded itself as Reform UK. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it strongly opposed lockdown measures. Since 2022, Reform UK has broadened its platform, particularly focusing on opposition to immigration and the government's Net Zero energy policy.
Woodward recently created a fundraiser for his campaign, raising £355 of his £15,000 goal. He notes that Reform UK has "no coordinated central funding, no local branch associations, and no local selection committees" and that prospective parliamentary candidates are "expected to raise awareness and funds locally to support their campaigns."
