UKIP field activist from Hampshire in Caerphilly by-election

Martin Shipton

A far-right activist from southern England with no discernible connection to Wales is standing for UKIP in the Caerphilly by-election.

Roger Quilliam, a member of the anti-EU party’s national executive committee has declared an address in the North East Hampshire constituency.

Apart from announcing his candidacy, his X posts contain nothing we could find that relates to Wales. His recent posts relate to a far-right march through the centre of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

‘Scrap the Senedd’

His description on the ballot paper for the October 23 by-election will state: “UKIP Scrap the Senedd.”

A political source said: “It’s a sign of how far Ukip has declined that they can’t find someone to put up from the whole of Wales, let alone Caerphilly.”

In August Nation.Cymru reported how one of Wales’ most notorious far-right activists had left UKIP amid internal rows within the party.

The departure of Stan Robinson – who with convicted fraudster Dan Morgan – runs the racist, so-called Voice of Wales group in Swansea and Llanelli – left UKIP without any significant organiation in Wales.

In recent years Robinson has stirred up racial hatred against asylum seekers in Llanelli, made repeated outrageous statements such as advocating that the TV journalist Adam Boulton should be castrated with a rusty blade and subjected a local journalist in Llanelli to vile harassment on the street.

‘Tommy Robinson’

He and Morgan are close associates of the criminal far-right activist “Tommy Robinson”, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon. Respected anti-fascist organisations like Searchlight and Hope Not Hate monitor the pair’s activities, recognising them as a pernicious far-right menace.

The Muslim Council of Wales has described Robinson’s Twitter account as a “collection of hateful, bigoted and deeply worrying misinformation and conspiracies”.

He retweeted a message labelling migrants “parasites” who should be “arrested” or “shot” to “stop the invasion”.

In 2023 Robinson made an islamophobic video in Swansea with leading figures on the British far right Anne Marie Waters and the former BNP organiser Eddy Butler.

Robinson also made unfounded claims about Muslims being behind a major knife crime and promoted bogus claims that people from Pakistan were responsible for the spread of coronavirus in Britain.

UKIP is no longer the force it was when led by Nigel Farage in the period leading up to the Brexit referendum. It is now a fringe party of the far right.

In the July 2024 general election, Robinson stood as UKIP’s candidate, coming bottom of the poll with 600 votes, But despite securing just 1.47% of the vote, it was UKIP’s highest percentage level of support in Britain. In the other 22 seats where the party stood, its percentage of the vote was just 0.33%.

In December 2024 Robinson became a member of the party’s national executive committee, as well as being the party’s spokesperson for Wales.

UKIP’s website now shows that he has relinquished both roles.

Trust fund

A source that monitors UKIP’s activities told us that there were concerns within the party about a secret trust fund controlled by party chairman Ben Walker, who was sacked as a magistrate after Nation.Cymru revealed that he had an undeclared conviction as a rogue builder.

A document filed by UKIP Ltd to Companies House describes Walker as a person with significant control of the party, adding: “[Walker] has the right to exercise, or actually exercises, significant influence or control over the activities of a trust, and the trustees of that trust, in their capacity as such, have the right to exercise, or actually exercise, significant influence or control over the company.”

Because the trust is a private entity, it has no legal obligation to file its accounts publicly

Our source that monitors UKIP told us there was concern within the party about Walker’s control of its funds via the trust, and that this was the main reason for Robinson’s decision to leave. There is a lack of knowledge within UKIP as to whether donations and legacies made to the party have been channelled to the trust rather than the company..

We recently reported how Robinson’s Voice of Wales sidekick Morgan had been identified by the anti–fascist group Far Right Wales Watch as using the pseudonym Dewi Draig to run a “Reform Swansea supporters” Facebook group.

We left a message with UKIP asking for contact with Mr Quilliam or a statement, but have received no response.

Under recently passed legislation, people residing outside Wales will not be allowed to stand as candidates for the Senedd.