A Reform UK candidate for the general election, Jack Aaron, who had previously made comments praising Hitler’s ability to inspire people and described Bashar al-Assad as “gentle by nature,” has been appointed to oversee the party’s candidate vetting process. Aaron’s controversial statements, which also included justifying Vladimir Putin’s actions in Ukraine, were brought to light in 2023 when he ran for Reform in the Welwyn Hatfield constituency. Despite the fact that many Reform candidates were dismissed over similar controversial and often racist remarks, Aaron has been put in charge of ensuring future candidates do not have a blemished past. He has characterized his grandfather as a refugee from Vienna and himself as Jewish, sitting on his local synagogue council, which the party points to as evidence of his character. However, the opposition, notably Labour MP Josh Simons, has criticized Reform UK for their vetting process and the appointment of Aaron, arguing that they are not taking their responsibilities seriously enough. Reform UK insists that they are implementing a thorough vetting process, though they did not comment on whether the pseudoscientific theory of personality types, known as socionics, which Aaron promotes, is part of their evaluation procedure.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/mar/16/reform-uk-candidate-who-praised-hitler-and-assad-put-in-charge-of-vetting