As we reported last week, when Nigel Farage assumed the leadership of Reform UK and threw his hat in the ring in Clacton, UKIP Leader Lois Perry squealed with delight and announced that, in order to support her ‘friend’ and further the cause of right-wing unity, UKIP would stand down in Reform’s favour in seven constituencies.

That was nonsense. They had no candidates lined up in most of those constituencies and two of them were actually abolished in the most recent set of boundary changes.

But even the spirit of the undertaking lasted no longer than close of nominations four days later.

When the candidates lists were announced it turned out that UKIP was now not only running against Farage himself in Clacton – where, to be fair, no undertaking had actually been given – but they are also running against Reform in the successor constituencies to the which had been abolished.

On Perry’s standing down list were Barnsley Central and Barnsley East. Last year they were replaced by Barnsley North and Barnsley South, and you would think that the spirit of Perry’s undertaking would mean those would be left as a free run for Reform.

But no. Oh dear, no. Ukip have pulled the rather crafty trick of outsourcing those seats to their allies in the English Democrats, with whom they are bound in an officially-registered electoral partnership called the Patriots Alliance.

So, in Barnsley South we find Maxine Spencer (pictured right) running as the “Patriots Alliance – English Democrats and UKIP” candidate and in Barnsley North, Janus Polenceusz (left) standing for the English Democrats.

In both cases their opponents include Reform UK.

This will, without doubt, have furthered the cause of right-wing unity immeasurably…