by Andrew Spence
Hull-born Olympic Gold medal-winning boxer Luke Campbell has been announced as the Reform UK candidate for the Hull and East Yorkshire Mayoral election on May 1.
The party, formerly known as the Brexit Party, runs on a populist platform that includes policies such as leaving the European Convention on Human Rights and freezing all “non-essential” immigration in a bid to “protect public services and British culture and values,” according to its document titled Our Contract with You.
The party was seen to have had a successful 2024 General Election, having secured 14.3 per cent of the vote, picking up five seats in the process. Their popularity has only grown since the election. A YouGov/Times poll revealed this month suggested Reform UK was the most popular party in the UK with a 27 per cent voting intention rate, compared with Labour (25 per cent) and Conservatives (21 per cent).
Campbell was unveiled as the Reform candidate during a ticketed “rally” held at Hull’s Connexin Live, attended by leader Nigel Farage and party chairman Zia Yusuf. About 2,000 members of the public also attended the event.
The 37-year-old former bantamweight competed between 2013 and 2021. As an amateur, he won gold at the 2008 European Championships, silver at the 2011 World Championships and gold at the 2012 Olympics.
After the latter triumph, a Hull phone box near St Paul’s Boxing Academy was painted gold in his honour, as was a post box in Hessle Road. Campbell was made an MBE in 2013 for his services to boxing.
Five other candidates have already been announced for May’s election, including the leaders of both Hull City Council (Cllr Mike Ross) and East Riding Council (Cllr Anne Handley).
The full list of candidates for the election is as follows:
Yorkshire Party: Rowan Halstead
Conservative Party: Anne Handley
Green Party: Kerry Harrison
Labour Party: Margaret Pinder
Liberal Democrats: Mike Ross
Reform UK: Luke Campbell