Reclaim Party

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Reclaim Party
LeaderLaurence Fox
Deputy LeaderMartin Daubney
Founders
Founded2020
HeadquartersCarlyle House
235 Vauxhall Bridge Road
London
SW1V 1EJ
IdeologyRight-wing populism
Anti-lockdown politics
Political positionRight-wing
Local government
1 / 19,481
Website
reclaimparty.co.uk
  • Politics of United Kingdom
  • Political parties
  • Elections

The Reclaim Party is a right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. It was launched in 2020 by British actor Laurence Fox, with funding from Jeremy Hosking.

Founding[]

In September 2020, Fox attracted funding for a new political party, provisionally called Reclaim,[1][2] and dubbed "UKIP for culture".[3][1] It emerged in October 2020 that the party name had yet to be successfully registered with the Electoral Commission as there was a naming conflict with the "Reclaim Project" of Manchester, an established charity giving opportunities to working-class children.[4] The name Reclaim Party was approved in February 2021 as an identity mark for Brexit Express, a previously registered party.[5][6]

2021 London mayoral election[]

In March 2021, Fox announced he would stand in the London mayoral elections, in order to "fight against extreme political correctness" and to "end the Met's obsession with diversity and inclusivity".[7][8] His candidacy was endorsed by Reform UK, who stood aside for him in the election, and Nigel Farage.[9] The major source of Fox's campaign funds was Brexit backer Jeremy Hosking,[10] who, in the first quarter of 2021, gave the Reclaim Party more than £1,000,000 in cash and services.[11]

In the mayoral election, Fox finished in sixth place with 47,634 votes (1.9 per cent), losing his £10,000 election deposit.[12][13]

2021 Scottish Parliament election[]

The party stood one candidate, Leo Kearse, in the Scottish Parliament election, held in May 2021. In Glasgow Pollok, Kearse received 114 votes (0.3 per cent).[14]

North Shropshire by-election[]

Martin Daubney, the deputy leader of Reclaim, was the party's candidate in the 2021 North Shropshire by-election.[15] Daubney is a former Brexit Party Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 2019 to 2020, and a former journalist and editor. He finished seventh with 375 votes (0.98 per cent), losing his deposit.[16]

During the by-election campaign, a Market Drayton town councillor defected to Reclaim; this was the party's first elected representative.[17][18][19]

In December 2021, newspapers reported Hosking would continue to fund the Reclaim Party.[20]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Hope, Christopher (27 September 2020). "Laurence Fox launches a new political party to fight the culture wars". The Telegraph. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  2. ^ Heren, Kit (27 September 2020). "Laurence Fox to set up new political party dubbed 'Ukip for culture'". Evening Standard. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  3. ^ O'Connor, Roisin (27 September 2020). "Laurence Fox to launch new political party described as 'Ukip for culture'". The Independent. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  4. ^ Littlejohn, Georgina (11 October 2020). "Laurence Fox faces legal action from youth charity Reclaim over party name". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  5. ^ "2021 Party registration decisions" (PDF). The Electoral Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  6. ^ "Laurence Fox films police officers at front door after being accused of breaking COVID rules". Yahoo!. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  7. ^ Bayley, James (20 April 2021). "Laurence Fox pledges to 'end the Met's obsession with diversity'". MyLondon. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  8. ^ Hope, Christopher (6 March 2021). "Laurence Fox exclusive: I'm standing for London Mayor to offer a voice to those being dominated into silence". The Daily Telegraph.
  9. ^ Murphy, Joe (22 April 2021). "Nigel Farage backs Laurence Fox in London mayoral race". Evening Standard. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  10. ^ Smith, Robbie (19 April 2021). "Londoner's Diary: Laurence Fox's Reclaim party has banking problems". Evening Standard. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  11. ^ Walker, Peter (3 June 2021). "Laurence Fox's political party received almost same donations as Lib Dems". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  12. ^ Sinclair, Leah (9 May 2021). "Laurence Fox loses £10,000 deposit in London mayor bid". Evening Standard. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  13. ^ "Results 2021". London Elects. 9 May 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  14. ^ "Constituencies A-Z: Glasgow Pollok". BBC News. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  15. ^ "North Shropshire by-election 2021: The candidates standing". BBC News. 19 November 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  16. ^ "North Shropshire parliamentary by-election | The result". www.shropshire.gov.uk. Shropshire Council. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  17. ^ "Tory Shropshire councillor defects to Reclaim". The Spectator. 6 December 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  18. ^ "Two Tory councillors defect amid North Shropshire by-election campaign". BBC News. 6 December 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  19. ^ Davis, Gregory (7 December 2021). "Reclaim's first councillor is nothing to celebrate". Hope not Hate. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  20. ^ Penna, Dominic; Hope, Christopher (13 December 2021). "Former Conservative donor to pump further £5m into Laurence Fox's Reclaim Party". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
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