As the famous election slogan rightly points out, if you wouldn’t trust someone when buying a car you probably shouldn’t vote for them.
Meet Mike Porritt, Reform UK’s candidate for Whickham South and Sunniside in Gateshead.
HOPE not hate can reveal that Robert Michael Porritt is the man behind Carshock, a car supermarket business that went into liquidation owing an estimated £4.4m to creditors, including customers who had placed deposits on cars. Over 50 employees lost their jobs.
The company website left a message which greeted customers who were worried about their deposits “Thanks for the memories. RIP 2001-2007.”
In June 2007, Automotive Industry News reported that administrators BDO Stoy Hayward LLP had published a report to creditors stating that there were “difficulties surrounding the identification and location of leased vehicles”. The administrators went on to say that they had identified “a number of issues regarding the ownership of vehicles including multiple financing of vehicles, the apparent disappearance of a significant number of vehicles and difficulties surrounding the identi-fication and location of leased vehicles.”
Mike offers to bring his years of business experience to Gateshead Council, and if they win control of the authority he could be chosen by Reform as their council leader. He would not be the first Reform council leader with a failed business past. Andrew Husband, Reform’s head of Durham Council has faced criticism over a number of companies that ran up big debts while he was a director.
Reality TV
Mike Porritt also featured in the Channel 4 reality TV show ‘Boss Swap’ which aired in 2004. During the swap he was placed at an estate agent’s office, where he sacked the owner’s wife, later saying, “I took the view that Brucie-babe’s business could be improved by making his wife redundant.” It was claimed that instead of looking after his counterpart’s business, he spent a lot of time in the pub.
Bankruptcy
In 2008, Santander petitioned to have Porritt declared bankrupt over personal guarantees he made to the bank of over £8m. He was later formally made bankrupt at Middlesbrough County Court.
Does this business experience make him a suitable candidate to oversee the finances of a council?
We’re lifting the lid on the people and money behind Reform UK, and this is just the start. Reform Watch is a new newsletter from HOPE not hate, sent straight to supporters who want to know the truth about the party. Sign up now to get the next edition.
Prefer to listen? Click the play button to hear the audio version. Harry Shukman Reform UK is staffed by oddballs and enigmas, but none odder…
