Politics UK founder becomes Reform UK councillor

Update: Since publishing this piece, Politics UK have informed us that Bailey Nash-Gardner has “no editorial role” at the site. Politics UK’s editorial process is described here. 

Reform — The idea that media outlets can be free from bias is obviously ridiculous. All media organisations are biased in some fashion or another; the question is whether they’re honest with you about that, or whether they try to present themselves as impartial.

In the case of Politics UK, the impression given is that this is run-of-the-mill British news site. What you wouldn’t expect, then, is that the site’s founder is now a councillor for Reform UK:

 

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Reform’s Bailey Nash-Gardner

UK Fact Check reported the above, noting that councillor Bailey Nash-Gardner:

has been active in Conservative politics since at least 2017, previously served as campaign manager and parliamentary assistant to the then Conservative MP Andrew Rosindell between 2023 and 2026.

In a more detailed write-up, they add:

Despite repeatedly presenting Politics UK as politically neutral, critics have pointed to the platform’s coverage and language choices as evidence of apparent bias. In a post published on election day, the account referred to a group of independent candidates as “the Muslim independents,” despite not applying similar religious or ethnic labels to other independent candidates. Critics accused the post of singling out Muslim candidates in a way that risked fuelling division.

This is precisely the sort of subtle bias that sites like Politics UK are suited to spreading. Many people won’t go near outlets like the Mail or the Sun because they recognise they’re openly hostile and divisive. They might feel comfortable with Politics UK, however, and they won’t necessarily pick up that the site is quietly guiding them to see Muslims as ‘others’.

Impartiality

UK Fact Check added:

Nash-Gardner’s election to Havering Council means that one of the country’s most prominent political social media platforms — one that describes itself as offering “impartial coverage” — is now owned by a sitting councillor representing a party that critics say receives favourable coverage on the platform.

And this is what it comes down to, isn’t it? Politics UK describe themselves as follows:

The Home of UK Political News. Follow & turn on notifications for impartial coverage first.

It’s fine to be partial; the Canary certainly is, and in ways that we openly broadcast. What’s not fine is the growing merger between UK politics and UK media. And once again, it’s Reform which is leading the charge on that front – namely by having multiple politicians who work (or have worked) for GB News, including Nigel Farage, Lee Anderson, and Matt Goodwin.

This is all especially concerning when you consider GB News’s output:

GB News Scandal: The dossier

Twenty journalists analysed 15 hours of television – none of which complied with Ofcom’s regulations. These are their findingshttps://t.co/ikwfIVrC2P

— Reform Party UK Exposed 🇬🇧 (@reformexposed) March 18, 2026

The New World today revealed that GB News has become the official propaganda channel for Reform UK, with not a single hour of programming complying with broadcasting law. Ofcom is doing nothing about it.#ReformWatch #GBNews #Ofcom pic.twitter.com/5y4bwtE3hL

— Jack Dart (@JackWDart) March 18, 2026

Consolidation

The Tories have traditionally enjoyed an easier time than Labour in the media. There’s a very simple reason for this, and it’s because many media owners are aligned with the Conservative Party. Now, it seems clear that Reform is seeking to do something similar with new media outlets like GB News and Politics UK.

On the one hand, you can’t really fault the party for pursuing a winning strategy. On the other, we’re obviously going to call it out any time Politics UK forgets its supposed ‘impartiality’.

Featured image via UK Politics