The incident will once more lead to accusations that Reform is incompetent and cause embarrassment for Farage.
Reform are once more facing embarrassing headlines and charges of incompetence after a business belonging to one of its councillors was slapped with a £40,000 fine after the company was found to have hired someone without the legal right to work in the UK.
Nigel Farage’s party, which has pledged to tackle illegal immigration, has now hit the headlines because Michael Andrew Harrison, who represents Seaham on Durham county council, is accused of hiring an illegal worker.
He is appealing the levy against his business Churchills Management Ltd, arguing that the employee — who is of Thai descent — did have the legal right to work.
The incident will once more lead to accusations that Reform is incompetent and cause embarrassment for Farage.
The FT reports: “Churchills was listed as a ‘liable party’ in a government list of civil penalties for those found to be employing illegal workers, published on November 28. The fine and the connection to the Reform councillor was first highlighted by @reformexposed, an account on social media platform X.
“A person familiar with the matter said the company had employed an individual of Thai descent that it believed had the right to work in the UK.
“The employee is married to a British citizen, the person said, and had been advised by lawyers they were allowed to continue working while they appealed the expiry of their leave to remain in the UK.”
A letter from a law firm advising on the person’s status, claims that the person had the right to work while their application for leave to remain was being considered.
Harrison is challenging the fine at Newcastle County Court, with the Home Office as the defendant. A spokesperson for Reform declined to comment.
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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