Last week, John Power reported on Labour’s alleged ‘dark arts’ strategy: a cynical ploy to damage Nigel Farage and his allies not through debate, but through reputational sabotage. As a target of such smears for many years, I was not hugely surprised to see my name mentioned in the piece. I can attest to the venom of the attacks on Reform – in stark contrast to the ‘kinder, gentler politics’ once promised from Labour. 

We should expect robust debate where ideas clash, but instead what we often encounter is a reliance on smears and innuendo. In this week’s Spectator, James Heale notes that my lawyers have written to Labour. Downing Street sources have reportedly denied the existence of any new ‘attack team’ in No. 10 with the remit of challenging Reform. But key questions remain unanswered.

In recent weeks, anonymous online accounts and attack blogs have engaged in a sophisticated and targeted disinformation campaign against me. Following the allegations in........

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