That Reform finds value in this kind of narrative tells us everything we need to know about where the party, and its chosen influencers, want to take the country.
One standout column this week – for all the wrong reasons – came from Jack Anderton, a ‘political adviser’ to Reform UK, though better known for managing Nigel Farage’s TikTok account than for any serious policy credentials
“Housing illegal migrants in student accommodation is the final proof that young Britons like me are being robbed of our future by an incompetent, self-serving political class,” sets the tone for an incredibly politically charged and alarmist piece of writing.
Anderton recounts his experience as a student at King’s College London, mourning how he had to attend Zoom classes in a small box room and missed out on the usual university social life due to lockdowns. But he was at least spared the imagined horror of sharing “our campuses with unvetted men from distant lands, many of whom could have posed a threat to our safety – and especially to that of female students.”
This vague, fear-mongering claim is ‘backed up’ by statistics from the so-called Centre for Migration Control (CMC), which he cites to argue that Afghans and Eritreans are “20 times more likely to be convicted of sexual offences than Britons.”
This figure, however, collapses under even minor scrutiny. The CMC is not an impartial research institute but a blog-cum-think-tank dedicated to, in its own words, “controlling and reducing migration to Britain.” It is also run by Reform activist Robert Bates. The same organisation was recently cited by shadow justice secretary, Robert Jenrick, when he claimed 40 percent of sexual crimes in London last year were committed by foreign nationals, a figure later revealed by the Guardian to be misleading.
The CMC’s data comes from a Metropolitan Police FOI request showing how many individuals were proceeded against for sexual offences, not convicted, a crucial distinction Anderton conveniently omits. Ministry of Justice figures show that of 14,242 people brought to court for sexual offences in 2024, only 8,098 were actually convicted. The numbers therefore tell a different story than the one Anderton is selling.
What’s more, the 20-times figure is based on 2021 population data, now outdated given the sharp rise in Afghan migration since the Taliban’s return, and an increase in Eritrean migration due to regional conflicts.
Anderton’s fear-mongering reaches its lowest point when he crudely writes: “To place large numbers of young male migrants close to young students – some of whom will inevitably get drunk and walk home late at night in a vulnerable state – displays a total lack of concern for their wellbeing.”
That Anderton holds these views is, sadly, no surprise. On his personal blog, Britain Needs Change, he argues that in a future “meritocratic” world, Britain could “regain” former colonies such as Australia, Canada, and South Africa.
He also praises the mass incarceration model of El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, who has been widely condemned for gross human rights violations, and calls for a shake-up of the Foreign Office so that all decisions are made purely on the basis of whether or not they benefit Britain.
He even claims that the only war of the last century worth fighting was the Falklands, dismissing all others, including both World Wars and support for Ukraine against Russia’s invasion, as misguided.
“We are sending billions of pounds (that we cannot afford) to prop up a country that we have no allegiance to. Russia is not our enemy, they have not attacked Britain.”
That Reform finds value in this kind of narrative tells us everything we need to know about where the party, and its chosen influencers and, sigh, newspapers like the Daily Mail that give them a platform, want to take the country.
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