Nigel Farage has been handed a bill for more than £8,000 that a former Reform UK candidate says he is owed for running a general election campaign in Clacton before he was elbowed aside when the party leader chose to stand. Tony Mack, who was to be the party’s candidate in the Essex constituency until June, said Farage had assured him in a telephone call that the party would “pay back every fucking penny” and made a series of other commitments. The psychotherapist and charity worker – who alleges he was frozen out by Reform UK and that Farage went back on a deal that they shook on – says he is speaking out because he believes the MP cannot be trusted. He accused an “aggressive element” among some of those who supported Reform UK of creating a “fascistic” atmosphere in the constituency.
In a letter to Farage this week, he says that he is owed a bill for £8,500 that also includes a website (www.reformukclacton.com) that Mack set up and which was then used by Farage for his campaign. “I fear for the future of Reform unless it is democratised,” he said, in reference to the unusual structure of the party, which is registered as a company that is ultimately controlled by Farage rather than members. “I also fear for the future of a movement like that when it is led by a man who cannot keep his promises. Where does that leave his constituents, or supporters who have invested their faith in Reform to deliver the kind of change that is needed.” Mack, who ultimately decided to run as an independent in Clacton to build on his record of having worked with local communities, described how the atmosphere in the constituency had changed when the Farage campaign got under way. He says that he was subjected to abuse online by people who he believes were Reform supporters and reported it to the police. In a letter to Farage and Reform UK, Mack said that he was making a formal request for him to honour a promise made during a phone call on 3 June, when Farage announced he was standing, and in person on 4 June. The costs were said to include the “unauthorised” use of the web domain owned by Mack, as well as the cost of promotional material and venue hire. Mack also said Farage had promised him a salaried job at the top of the politician’s team in Clacton. Sources in Reform UK said Mack was motivated by personal grievance. They said that he had publicly backed Farage after the Reform UK leader became the candidate and originally signed his nomination papers. Mack, who received 317 votes when he stood as an independent in Clacton, had been selected as the Reform UK candidate in October 2023. Farage overturned a Conservative majority of more than 25,000 to comfortably win the seat after a race that marked his eighth attempt to enter the House of Commons. A spokesperson for Farage declined to comment.