Dear Editor,
As you may have seen I have decided to stand as an independent candidate in Wembley Hill.
As residents know I originally stood as a Reform UK candidate. Unfortunately my experience prior to the close of nominations set a clear example. Reform in Brent can not deliver for local residents.
Immediately before the protected period started I became aware of a pattern of behaviour which would have jeopardised the opportunity to represent local residents. Despite contact from a number of figures, this behaviour continued. The leadership of local Reform struggled to respond to this.
Indeed the Brent Reform leadership were ineffective, disorganised, and completely lacked any understanding of what residents want.
You see this in their campaign. The leaflets focus solely on national issues. I tried to ask for local ones, but they were never allowed. But then again, if 52 of the 57 candidates have no intention of trying, then why would they care about local issues?
Simply put, I did not believe it was possible to represent both Reform and my residents. That is why I withdrew the Reform nomination, and will now be standing proudly as an independent to represent the ward I have spent my life in.
Andi Porri
28 comments:
the other far right party restore are equally useless. while they admit they aren't ready for this election, that hasn't stopped them verbally abusing a group of canvassers in Brent. Restore don't actually have the solutions. They will just make you more angry, and blame it on someone else. they will not help you.
I'd be really interested to hear what Reform's policies in Brent would be .. as one of the most culturally and economically diverse boroughs in the country!
Andi Porri’s version of events is far from the truth. For anyone interested I can offer evidence of the timelines and conversations involved.
However, I am not prepared to discuss the minutiae in public.
I wish Andi well to become a councillor, but not representing Reform UK
Well done Andi for having the courage to admit your initial mistake in agreeing to stand as a Reform UK candidate.
If you follow politics, you will have read in the past year of many councillors elected for Reform in the 2025 local elections leaving the party in disgust because they were instructed to concentrate on pushing Farage's national anti-immigrant message, rather than addressing local issues.
Reform UK has no place in our wonderfully diverse Brent community, and I hope that local residents will realise that before they vote on 8 May.
Is this the same Andi Porri who has been a member of Labour and the Liberals? I'd heard he failed to get selected for a council seat with Labour and jumped ship to Reform. Maybe that turncoat with try to join the Tories or Greens next? Will anyone else be gullible enough to take him though?
Far right parties like Reform have no place in Brent
"pattern of behaviour which would have jeopardised the opportunity to represent local residents". Is just too vague for voters to know with some understanding whether there is a real problem or not. Of course new parties will be chaotic and disorganised.
But we need some supporting basis to understand this better.
Not sure this Porri understands what goes into running a branch of a local political party. It takes people to organise, and what we see here is them running away rather than getting involved. I can’t see how a quitter will serve us at the local council. Especially as he expects everyone else to do things for him
Reform candidates are very culturally diverse. You’ve just been spoon fed propaganda that anyone who disagrees with labour is ‘far right’. They are just populists like Greens are populists, and if we are being really honest, we need the public heard
Sorry! That should read 7 May.
Just keep voting labour, nothing will change in Brent
Just like other candidates who were staunch Labour until they weren't selected to stand for them and are now standing for other parties.
Ive known Andi for years and he's said on more than one occasion he is resident driven and has no time for party loyalties, he actually left the labour party 8 months after their selection process, he's had years of experience at branch level and as with his time in his union roles, he supported members as he now does residents, he is now standing, because he wont quit, he is dedicated to his residents, i only wish i could vote for him but cant as in a neighboroughing ward.As i recall his branch chairman actually defected to the greens long before Andi moved, not a great example of a branch.
You are like a football supporter.
If you support Spurs but they are no good, you wouldn’t support Arsenal.
Politics shouldn’t be like that
Voting Porri as they dont want Labour, is like people voting Reform when they don’t want tories then isn’t it.
If Andrew Porri thinks that Reform "can not deliver for local residents" why did he sign the nomination forms for two of the Reform Candidates? He could have withdrawn his support but failed to do so because his "pattern of behaviour" is equally "ineffective, disorganised and completely lacks understanding" just like the Reform leadership in Brent. We need people like Andrew Porri or any of the Reform candidates like a hole in the head.
The voting day for Reform is 8 May! You were correct the 1st time Philip. Please do not try to confuse them further.
Rivalry between Spurs and Arsenal is over 100 years old so not a good example to suggest.
As one of those candidates, the forms were signed long before the last date for putting papers in, his decision was made after the period where it was possible to withdraw his signature, if he’d wanted to, no doubt with his actions after that i can not answer whether he would wished to have withdrawn them or not.
Im sure that paragraph made some sense in your mind, but to everyone else it seems nonsense.
By the amount of obviously Reform commenters on here, id say they are crying over the loss, best of luck to him
Thank you, for a little light relief, Anonymous 13 April at 21:46.
Andi was deselected from standing for Reform.
Nevertheless we wish him well
Maybe Mr Porri did not like the fact that the Reform Organiser was going around picking up Asians 'off the street' who clearly do not understand what Reform actually stand for and the type of past NF and BNP supporters they attract. How these people cannot see that Farage is just a vehicle to get their Racist/Anti immigrant NF & BNP views implemented is beyond belief.
The irony is, the view that “asians were picked up off the street” and had no autonomy to resist or say no etc places your politics closer to the NF or BNP by dehumanising them like that. Reform are just populists who are conservative. Doesn’t make them “far right” or “fascist” hence their mayoral candidate is laila cunningham. A muslim woman and barrister who is obviously an inspiring woman who has led many people to recognise we cannot continue on as is. Just because I don’t agree with their solutions, doesn’t mean I can’t see their diagnosis of the problems arnt right. Particularly when it comes to fascist people pretending they are anti-fascist or anti racist spouting racist drivel like you just have
Where are the 5 out of the 57 who do have an intention to 'try' to get elected standing?
Tokynton and Wembley Central?
Yes, We are culturally diverse. The downside is that we are somewhat estranged from our neighbours. Many people don't bother to learn English or integrate. There is a lack of cohesive community. Maybe Reform could find a way to bind us together in our English culture in which so many people have chosen to be.
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