Reform UK general secretary leaves amid renewed scrutiny of candidate vetting

Tom Waterhouse has left his post as Reform UK’s general secretary amid renewed scrutiny of the party’s candidate vetting and wider organisational problems. His departure is a setback for Nigel Farage’s effort to professionalise the party, which is recruiting staff and selecting candidates ahead of a future general election.

The exit follows the case of George Madgwick, Reform’s Hampshire council leader, who has been charged with 12 counts of rape and one count of distributing indecent images of a child; he denies wrongdoing. Waterhouse also helped oversee an internal investigation that cleared senior officials James Orr and Dan Jukes over alleged breaches of rules on foreign donations, while police inquiries continue. Reform says an interim general secretary has been appointed, and candidate vetting is now run by deputy chair Paul Nuttall.