George Woodward, a candidate for Reform UK in the Leigh and Atherton constituency, has found himself the target of online mockery following his recent comments about immigration, which he claimed became a concern for him after passing through an airport.
In an interview with The News Agents podcast, Woodward asserted that migration needs to be “reexamined” and recounted the moment he reached this conclusion while navigating an airport arrivals lounge. He stated his decision to run for Reform UK was driven by his concerns about “the state of the country,” with migration being his primary motivator.
“Mainly migration, is what drives me,” he explained. However, his anecdote that sparked widespread ridicule was about his realisation moment. “I had a moment last year I was coming through an airport. I was at the arrivals, you know, the British border. And I was like wow, you know, there’s a lot of people coming in here. And we need to reexamine this.”
Journalist Lewis Goodall, conducting the interview, pointed out that many of those in the arrivals lounge were likely tourists or British citizens returning from abroad. Woodward conceded, “Some absolutely. Some not. So you can tell.”
Goodall suggested that Reform UK is stoking “ethnic tension” and argued that as a potential politician, Woodward has a responsibility to mitigate such tensions and challenge divisive language. Woodward responded by claiming, “on occasion I do step in and correct them.”
It was also revealed that in 2016, Woodward spoke to The Herald about his participation in the Erasmus programme, which the UK left due to Brexit. At the time, Woodward described the programme as a “really great experience” and highlighted the friendships he had formed with people from various countries.
Watch the video below:
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