THE REFORM UK candidate in an upcoming Aberdeenshire by-election is under fire over “abhorrent” and misogynistic social media posts.
Andy Curwen, the party’s candidate in the Peterhead South and Cruden by‑election on July 2, shared a series of past posts on his Instagram which were shared with The National by a concerned local.
One post from August 2020 shows an image of Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.
“Women can argue for 3 straight hours, but 2 minutes into a BJ and her jaw hurts,” the post then states (below).
Another post from June 2019 said: “Studies suggest that 9 out of 10 men prefer a woman with curves. The 10th man drives a Ford and prefers the other 9 men.”
A plain post – white text on a black background – from August 2020 (below) added: “Not sure if I need sex, sleep, or to punch someone in the face.”
Meanwhile, in October 2021, Curwen shared an image of a young black person (below) and a caption that reads: “Am look job, I can wash the garden, cook the children and iron the husband, I did my form four in 2013 and passed away.”
The SNP have described the posts as “absolutely abhorrent” and called on Reform UK to withdraw support and investigate the matter.
"These posts from the Reform candidate are absolutely abhorrent and clearly show he is not fit for public office,” a spokesperson told The National.
“The Reform Party should immediately withdraw all support and investigate this as a matter of urgency."
The Scottish Greens, meanwhile, also hit out at Reform’s vetting.
“Nigel Farage claims that Reform’s vetting has improved but, unsurprisingly, time and again, we see candidates linked to toxic, misogynistic and extremist views, often downplayed as banter or brushed off,” the party’s co-leader Gillian Mackay said.
“It is chilling that these candidates with those views could become elected representatives. Reform UK should take vetting seriously, and consider their choice of candidates more carefully, but they should also ask why so many people with such awful views are so keen to join their party.”
Curwen was previously a candidate for Reform UK in the Buchan Central by-election in October 2024 – coming fourth with 331 votes.
In a post on Reform UK’s website at the time, Curwen said he was 53 years old, born in Peterhead and currently lives in Aberdeenshire and works as a coach driver.
He added that he is an army veteran.
We have previously reported on other Reform UK candidates who have been the source of controversy, including their recent candidate in the Aberdeen South by-election being condemned over comments in which she described actors as “satanic worshipping trash”.
