Reform Greater Manchester candidate criticised over ‘migrant rapists’ comments

Sian Astley doubles down on stance that ‘people who vote for open borders should house criminals and rapists who enter UK’

The Reform UK candidate in the Greater Manchester mayoral race has been criticised by her rivals after doubling down on comments that voters for other parties should have to house criminals and rapists.

Sian Astley, a property businesswoman, initially made the comments in a Facebook post in which she shared her party’s pledge that a Reform government would prioritise placing migrant detention centres in areas where the Green party had an MP or controlled the local council.

Under the policy, announced in May by the party’s home affairs spokesperson, Zia Yusuf, no such facilities would be placed in areas with a Reform-controlled council or MP.

As well as sharing the policy, she posted: “How very democratic a policy. You get what you vote for.

“Personally I’d just ensure the Green voters, uniparty MPs (present or past) and Cllrs house the illegal criminals, rapists and economic chancers, so it’s nice of Reform UK to offer to build accommodation instead.”

The Labour party chair, Anna Turley, criticised Astley, saying Reform’s “grotesque policy” revealed the party’s contempt for all voters, including their own.

Turley said: “By backing this proposal, Reform’s candidate has shown she shares Nigel Farage’s view that communities should be rewarded or punished based on how they vote. Threatening to punish places where people don’t vote your way is a betrayal of basic democratic principles.”

Rather than backing down, Astley this week told the Manchester Evening News that she stood by her comments , insisting that those who advocated “open borders” were opening up the country to “exactly that – criminals, economic chancers, rapists”.

Astley said: “So, I’m sorry, but if people are attacking me for being angry about that, and for suggesting that – a little bit of tongue in cheek ‘well if you voted for it why don’t you have it?’ – comment, then really they’re getting angry about the wrong thing.”

Labour’s candidate, Bev Craig, is the favourite to win the mayoral byelection on 30 July .

The contest was triggered after Andy Burnham won the parliamentary byelection in Makerfield and is expected to become the leader of the Labour party and prime minister this summer.

Astley, who is the leader of the Reform group on Manchester city council, was regarded as a strong choice by the party when she was unveiled as the candidate last month. She featured on BBC One’s DIY SOS and the BBC Two series Your Home Made Perfect before entering politics.

Reform’s candidate in the Makerfield byelection, Robert Kenyon, struggled to shrug off accusations of misogyny over past comments he had made using sexually explicit language and comments about women who have abortions.

However, Astley’s opponents believe her comments about immigration and voters could cost her in Greater Manchester, a diverse area where more than 2 million people will be eligible to vote in what will be Britain’s biggest byelection.