Reform UK chose woman from Yorkshire who had been dead for six months as their Croydon mayoral candidate

This just in from Inside Croydon:

Following the General Election, Zia Yusuf, Reform’s then party chairman (until he had a falling out with Farage; there may be a pattern here), sent an auditor into the branch, making serious recommendations over financial records, the holding of branch meetings and the staging of campaign events.

Versions vary, but it appears that at the start of 2025, Reform UK’s HQ imposed on its Croydon branch an "approved" candidate to challenge Tory Jason Perry to become the borough’s next Mayor.

Her name was Sharon Carby, 70, from Bradford.

Carby had died in July 2024.

Fewer than 10 Reform members were present at this selection meeting.

One said of Carby, "I haven’t met her but I’ve been told she’s absolutely brilliant!"