UK parties unveil eye-catching European election candidates

Theresa May’s official stance is that the government could still secure a Brexit breakthrough in time to cancel the European parliamentary elections on 23 May. But with just about everyone else convinced otherwise, most parties – including upstarts Change UK and the Brexit party – have begun revealing their candidates for jobs that were not meant to exist.

New political parties have to battle for media and public attention alongside the established beasts, and the high-profile launches held in recent days have tended to focus on candidates with name recognition, rather than experienced political campaigners.

Related: Lib Dems launch EU election campaign with 'Stop Brexit' message

The recruits include former nurses, soldiers, musicians and statisticians. But several of those who have signed up are also among the most vehement participants in the noisy Brexit debate that has raged incessantly on Twitter since the referendum result in 2016.

Two Change UK candidates, Ali Sadjady and Joseph Russo, have already been forced to step aside after offensive tweets were uncovered.

Anna Soubry, a former Conservative MP, defended Change UK’s selection process, which involved an initial sift by the MPs followed by three-person panel interviews.

“Two weeks ago, we weren’t even a political party – it had to be an emergency process,” said Soubry, who passed some of the blame on to a company that carried out background checks. “Every single candidate was submitted to a reputable company. This cost a lot of money.”

Ann Widdecombe joins Nigel Farage for a press call after her defection to the latter’s Brexit party.Photograph: Leon Neal/Getty Images

Soubry said the company – which she refused to name – did highlight problematic social media posts from three other potential candidates, who were rejected, but it did not spot the history of the two forced to quit. “We have gone back to them,” she said.

High-profile defections are a well-worn tactic for fledgling parties hoping to make their mark, and the decision of the veteran Tory Ann Widdecombe to stand for the Brexit party in the South West region made headlines.

Last time European parliamentary elections were held, five years ago, Nigel Farage’s Ukip came top, polling more than 4m votes. Because of the proportional system, that resulted in Ukip sending 24 MEPs to Strasbourg.

By that point, David Cameron had already promised an in/out referendum on Britain’s relationship with the EU, if the Tories won the next general election.

But Ukip’s performance cemented the view at the top of the Tory party that the issue could not be brushed under the carpet, and should have offered an early hint that Brexit (not that the term was in use at that stage) was a live possibility.

Related: European elections: tell us the situation where you live

This time around, Theresa May will watch the results with trepidation. Many Conservatives are extremely reluctant to hit the doorsteps, and a Downing Street spokesman refused last week even to confirm that the party would hold a campaign launch, saying only: “If we do I’m sure we’ll let you know.”

Some Tories in the backbench European Research Group are not-very-privately hoping for a strong showing by the new Brexit party, whose candidates include ERG chair Jacob Rees-Mogg’s sister Annunziata.

They believe a humiliation at the hands of Farage’s new party could finally convince even “teflon Theresa”, that it’s time to step aside.

Six notable candidates

Rachel Johnson

The journalist, columnist and sister of former foreign secretary Boris, Johnson is Change UK’s lead candidate in the South West region. A former editor of the upmarket women’s magazine The Lady, she said she did not want to see Brexit “rubbing out my children’s prospects and chances of living and travelling and working in Europe”.

Ann Widdecombe

The formidable former prisons minister retired from parliament in 2010 and has since made a series of memorable reality TV appearances, including on Strictly Come Dancing. Her defection to the Brexit party was hailed by Nigel Farage, who has placed her top of the party’s list in the South West.

Andrew Adonis

The Labour peer has been a strident anti-Brexit voice, online and from the backbenches of the House of Lords, picking a string of spats, including with the BBC over its EU coverage – and at times with the party’s leadership. However, he surprised fans earlier this week by issuing a statement saying he backed Labour’s “sensible alternative plan” for a Brexit deal. He is second on Labour’s list in the South West.

Magid Magid

The Green councillor and former Somali refugee who became Sheffield’s youngest lord mayor at the age of 28, Magid is best known for “banning” Donald Trump from the city when he visited the UK, and celebrating Mexico Solidarity Day instead, sporting a “Trump is a Wasteman” T-shirt. He is the Greens’ top candidate in Yorkshire and the Humber. The Green party has three sitting MEPs.

Carl Benjamin

Otherwise known as Sargon of Akkad, the rightwing social media activist has been involved in a series of controversies, most recently about comments he made in 2014 arguing that feminism was responsible for a rise in the number of men carrying out mass murders. He is second on Ukip’s list in the South West.

Crispin Hunt

Probably the closest thing to showbiz on any of the party lists, Hunt was the frontman of 1990s band the Longpigs, and has since written songs for artists including Florence and the Machine and Ellie Goulding. But since he is sixth on Change UK’s list for the South West, he looks highly unlikely to be heading to Strasbourg.