A Reform UK candidate who is standing in the same constituency as women and equalities minister Kemi Badenoch has resigned from the party after it emerged he previously called on people to vote for the BNP. When approached by the paper regarding the blog post, Mr StClair-Armstrong said: "I've got no excuses for that. In separate comments to the BBC, Mr StClair-Armstrong said he had "never supported the BNP" and had been forced to stand down by Reform UK. A Reform UK spokesman told The Times: "Mr StClair-Armstrong has tendered his resignation as a member of Reform UK due to the revelation of unacceptable historic social media comments and we have accepted his resignation." As the deadline for nominations has passed, Mr StClair-Armstrong will appear on the ballot as the Reform UK candidate, but will stand as an independent if he is elected.