Thread by @docrussjackson

The "star" of the Home Office's grotesque immigration propaganda video is failed UKIPper Steven Woolfe, who nearly succeeded Farage as UKIP leader, until he was in a punch up in Strasbourg with a fellow kipper. He's also featured in #TuftonStreet's abysmal 'New Culture Forum'. 😬

Woolfe's English father was mixed race, born to a British Jewish mother & a Black American father, who abandoned Woolfe as a small child.

His first role as an Employed Barrister was acting as General Counsel for a stockbroking firm Merchant Securities Limited.

Woolfe moved to the Union Bank of Switzerland, London office in the legal & compliance department, & then went onto work for several investment banks such as Credit Suisse, Barclays Capital and Standard Bank as well as Aviva.

He spent several years as general counsel for hedge fund managers, then co-founded the Hedge Fund lawyers Association & was its chair for 2010 to 2102. Since 2019 he has also acted as a legal & regulatory consultant to financial institutions.

Woolfe was introduced to UKIP by Lord Pearson of Rannoch & made his debut speech at UKIP's 2010 annual conference. In 2010, Nigel Farage declared his intention to stand in the UKIP leadership, he appointed Woolfe, who was not a member of UKIP, to his team of senior spokespeople.

Woolfe stood as a UKIP candidate for the City & East for the Greater London Authority in May 2012.

In November 2012, Woolfe won UKIP's nomination to contest the Greater Manchester Police and Crime Commissioner elections. Woolfe's campaign message was one of being tough on crime.

Woolfe was selected as number 3 on UKIP's regional party list in the 2014 European Parliament election in North West England. He was one of three candidates from the party to be elected as MEP in the region.

In 2014 Woolfe became Spokesman for & shaped UKIP migration policy, then from July 2014 until May 2015, Woolfe's was responsible for macro policy & taxation % City of London spokesman. Predictably, he advocated a simplified & lower tax regime for all.

On 4 September 2014, Woolfe was chosen as UKIP's Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Stockport. Woolfe came third at the 2015 general election with 13% of the vote.

In July 2016, Woolfe launched his bid to become leader of UKIP following the resignation of Nigel Farage.

In 2017, Woolfe produced a report for Brextremists Leave Means Leave, detailing a visa system they wanted the Govt to implement post-Brexit, with the aim of bringing net immigration down to 50,000 people. He claimed large-scale immigration caused wage depression & job shortages.

Woolfe gained the support of the leaders of UKIP in Wales, Scotland & London. His running-mate was Welsh UKIP leader Nathan Gill, who during the #GE2015 campaign, denied human involvement in climate change. He resigned from UKIP & was briefly Leader of Reform UK Wales in 2021.

Woolfe promised to 'ruthlessly' go after Labour seats in Northern England & the Midlands, claiming UKIP had "won the argument" for managed immigration.

But on 31 July 2016, he was blocked by the party's National Executive Committee because his application was 17 minutes late.

On 5 October 2016, Woolfe was reported saying he was considering joining the @Conservatives Party - but didn't.

On 6th October, at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Woolfe was in a fight with fellow UKIP MEP Mike Hookem, which ended up with Woolfe in hospital.

Hookem told the @BBC that Woolfe objected to comments he had made & asked him to "take it outside of the room... 'mano a mano'."

Hookem claims he forced to defend himself after his fellow MEP Woolfe "came at me".

Sources reported that Mr Woolfe was punched in the face.

After only 2 years as a UKIP MEP, Woolfe resigned & spent 3 years as an Independent & never joined a political party after that.

Woolfe became the director of legal affairs & main (only?) shareholder of the 'think tank' The Centre For Migration & Economic Prosperity in 2019.

He is also the editor & head of communications of 'Libertatio' - a "platform that promotes writers, campaigners & freethinkers who challenge elites & champion liberty" - which sounds suspiciously like a platform for right-libertarian "freethinkers" & assorted right-wing cranks.

And now Woolfe has popped up as the star turn in the Govt's grotesque "How the Government plans to stop the small boats" #propaganda video, as spokesman for The Centre For Migration & Economic Prosperity, a 'think tank' which appears to comprise just 3 people, including Woolfe.

Details are thin on the ground, but according to Companies House, Woolfe is the only person associated with the Private Limited Company, the accounts are overdue, & there is an "Active proposal to strike off" the company.

So it'll fit right in with the @Conservatives!

The companies website says "CMEP believes that immigration if managed & controlled by governments who think about their people, nation first can develop policies that listen and are accepted by the community."

Imho, a proof-reader would be a sensible investment for Mr Woolfe.

The website claim that "This in turn will reduce the negative language & concerns that uncontrolled migration brings & will lead to a beneficial system where immigration is no longer seen as major burden or concern."

"REDUCE THE NEGATIVE LANGUAGE"!

Whose language is that then?

Website 'commentary' articles by Woolfe includes "13 ways to stop the channel migrant crisis", which states "If the boat doesn’t get you there People Traffickers Holidays will call the RNLI emergency lines who will collect you for free. It’s cheaper than Uber & more reliable." 😬

The 'Centre For Migration & Economic Prosperity' @Twitter account has gained just 197 followers since it launched in June 2020, & follows #TuftonStreet's 'Migration Watch' (led by Lord Green of Deddington,& Chaired by Alp Mehmet), & the extremely dodgy "Active Patriot" account.🙋‍♂️

Within hours of the grotesque Home Office #propaganda video launching, Home Office officials altered a @Twitter post about the illegal migration bill to remove an image of the newsreader Huw Edwards after complaints from the @BBC.

theguardian.com/politics/2023/…

The Govt #propaganda video still features @thehuwedwards at the start, in a @BBCNews clip, followed by another news reader from @channel5_tv. Given the recent furore over Gary Lineker & Govt pressure on the @BBC, this signals the Tories are out of control.