EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES
Cheers: Disingenuous grifter Nigel Farage has played Jason Perry for a fool
Jason Perry, Croydon’s failed Tory Mayor, has damaged his re-election chances even more – by allowing Nigel Farage to stage a Reform UK Ltd rally virtually on the Town Hall’s doorstep in a council-owned venue this Saturday.
Farage and his limited company will be rolling up at the Fairfield Halls, where the grifter-in-chief is expected to announce Reform’s candidate for Croydon Mayor – a very poorly disguised secret, although Inside Croydon can reveal that this time the Reform HQ-approved candidate does at least have a pulse.
At the rally ahead of May 7’s local council elections, racist Farage and his loyal supporters will explain how “we will secure our borders”, which is not a local council responsibility, “cut the cost of living”, again something else mostly outside the powers of your average Town Hall, “bring down energy bills”, ditto, and “stop council waste”, which is something that the bozos on the Farage ticket who have taken charge at 12 other councils in the past 12 months have shown themselves incapable or ill-equipped to do.
And, of course, none of the Reform-controlled councils have managed to cut Council Tax, as was promised before they were elected.
Nevertheless, according to the latest polling figures, in Croydon in May, Reform could win eight or nine council seats – mostly from Perry’s Croydon Conservatives.
No expense spared: Reform are reckoned to have thrown £5m at the 2026 local elections, including buying full-page ads in Metro
Reform in Croydon are not as strong as their colleagues in places such as Bromley or Bexley. Even this morning, with the local elections just 43 days away, Reform was emailing its Croydon members seeking volunteers to stand as candidates.
Yet just with the party’s logo on the Croydon ballot paper, Reform could still win enough votes, mostly from Tories, to scupper Perry’s hopes of being elected for a second term as Mayor.
Which makes the decision of the council-owned Fairfield Halls to accept the booking for the Farage rally look like the biggest political own goal since the Tories elected Liz Truss as their party leader. And makes Croydon’s Perry look even more gormless than Truss.
“Designed as a high-energy, broadcast-style event, thousands are expected in attendance,” Reform’s bumpf says. The Concert Hall has a capacity of 1,800, so a Reform exaggeration once again. “This is not one to miss,” they smarm.
Doors open at 5.30pm, according to Reform’s ticketing page. The event has not appeared on the Fairfield Halls’ own “future events” pages, although the venue is staging all-in wrestling the next day, which should raise the tone somewhat.
Katharine Street sources suggest that Perry’s council had no idea that the Reform circus would be putting on a show just across Park Lane from the Town Hall until after the booking had been accepted and Farage’s HQ had started selling tickets (£5 a pop – Trump fanboy Farage never misses the chance of making a quick buck).
Culture clash: the Fairfield Halls used to be an arts venue. It is owned by Croydon Council
The Fairfield Halls has been managed since 2018 by BHLive, the Bournemouth-based leisure centre and exhibition managers. BHLive declined to respond this week when Inside Croydon asked how much it might cost for our website to stage a 16th anniversary party for our loyal readers in its world-famous Concert Hall, with a full light show and sound system.
“Jason can’t cancel the show now,” one perplexed council insider told Inside Croydon, “it would look like he’s trying to shut them down.” Well yes, because that’s exactly what he would be doing, and in the opinion of hundreds of Croydon residents who have signed a letter of complaint, that is exactly what they want their Mayor to do.
Last December, a Reform Christmas fund-raiser that was due to be held at the Grand Sapphire Hotel off the Purley Way – £350 for a top-whack ticket and the chance of sitting next to Lee Anderson – was cancelled, with the venue citing concerns for the safety of their staff.
Now, a coalition of community groups has sent a letter of complaint to BHLive over what they call an “appalling” decision to host Farage and Reform.
“If Fairfield Halls does not cancel, and force its workers to work in a racist environment, we are planning to hold an anti-Farage, anti-Far-Right rally outside,” according to one activist.
Organisations involved in an expected protest at the Fairfield Halls on Saturday include Black Lives Matter Croydon, the Green Party, Croydon Trades Union Council and various trade unions, refugee groups and representatives from Purley mosque. Many protesters are expected to travel to Croydon from the Together Alliance for Love, Hope and Unity march which is taking place earlier on Saturday in central London.
In the open letter to the Fairfield Halls management, the unions and community groups say, “We urge you to reconsider and to cancel the event.”
On the march: protesters from the Together Alliance demo in central London on Saturday are expected to visit Croydon later in the day
The letter’s authors accuse Farage of using “inflammatory language to describe the most vulnerable people in our society”.
And they say: “His rhetoric on refugees and asylum seekers has led to a huge increase in racist intimidation and violence towards not just those seeking sanctuary in the UK, but also anyone who does not fit into his stereotype of what being British is…
“Reform UK have pledged to deport 600,000 black and brown people if they get elected. How many of these people do you think currently live in Croydon?
“Croydon is a community that celebrates its diversity and the contributions made by people from all parts of the world.
“As a town, it is the very opposite of what Farage and Reform want Britain to look like. Migrants, new and old, give back to the Croydon community they call their home: working in our NHS, driving our trains, trams and buses, caring for our elderly, working in our shops, cleaning our streets and workplaces, teaching in our schools.
“For Reform to hold a Far-Right rally in Fairfield Halls through your facilitation is a kick in the teeth to all who value the diverse nature of our town.
Gormless: Jason Perry failed to act to stop the Farage rally
“The people of Croydon paid millions to refurbish Fairfield Halls. We did not pay for it to host a Far-Right rally… If this rally goes ahead, you need to understand that every virulent racist and fascist across London and south-east England will come to Croydon to show their love of Farage, Reform and their ugly narrative of hate and division. They will rally outside Fairfield Halls.
“How will your staff feel about having to work under such circumstances? Will they feel safe?
“You also need to know that as members of our community in Croydon, we are calling for a mass, peaceful assembly outside Fairfield Halls on the night of [March] 28… We intend to make noise and to register our disgust that you have facilitated a Far-Right rally in our vibrant, diverse town…
“According to your website, you are a registered charity. Many charities are supporting the Together Alliance Against the Far-Right demonstration. The question that we, the people of Croydon, are putting to you is this: which side are you on?”
Pity they didn’t put the same question to the owners of the Fairfield Halls, Croydon Council, and to Mayor Jason Perry.
Read more: Farage party picked a dead woman to run for Croydon Mayor
Read more: Reform threaten legal action over their cancelled Croydon party
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Read more: Worries over ‘nasty’ Peter Morgan’s part in Croydon Reform UK
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