Reform UK says it has “improved and prioritised” its vetting procedures. The phrase arrived in a press statement, which is the only place vetting has ever been prioritised by anyone.
Then the undercover footage landed. It showed candidates doing the sort of thing a background check exists to catch, in front of people who were pretending to be ordinary voters.
The party’s response was to say its procedures are now better. It did not say what the old ones were, or who was in charge of them.
Is the process working? Only if its goal is to filter out people who cannot tie their own shoes. Nobody has said that is the goal.
A spokesperson described the improvements as ongoing. That is the one part of the vetting process anyone can verify without a camera.
The next candidate list is due next month. The terms of reference do not mention shoelaces.