The Reform candidate in Chippenham has denied being fake after concerns were raised over his legitimacy.

Benjamin Ginsburg said the rumours were “ridiculous”, insisting that he had been hoping to win in Chippenham and that he would have represented the area in parliament “if needed”.

He has been the subject of online speculation in Wiltshire after Reform has faced pressure to prove its parliamentary candidates were all real people.

Mr Ginsburg declined to comment when asked why he had not attended the count on Thursday, July 4.

The image of Benjamin Ginsburg provided on the Reform website.The image of Benjamin Ginsburg provided on the Reform website. (Image: Reform UK)

Regarding his absence at hustings during the campaign period, he said he hadn’t received the email invitations because he didn’t yet have the password for his Reform inbox.

Mr Ginsburg is a student in Brighton and reports having applied to be a candidate before the election was called.

He explained: “I’ve always been interested in politics, and I decided to join Reform about a year ago, I think.”

He added: “They needed candidates in Wiltshire and the South West, and it just so happened that when the election was called, I was available at the time.”

He noted that Reform had faced “problems with candidates dropping out”, and that there wasn’t time to vet anyone else for the Chippenham seat.

In May 2024, The Guardian reported that 110 seats had Reform candidates dropped or swapped since January 2024.

Speculation around Mr Ginsburg comes as questions have been raised over the legitimacy of other Reform candidates.

Clapham and Brixton Hill candidate Mark Matlock was the subject of recent rumours, after he was not seen on the campaign trail and a photo of himself appeared to be AI-generated.

Although he admitted to editing the photo, he made an appearance on GB news to confirm his identity.

It was also revealed that the address of Bristol South candidate, Richard Visick, was in Gibraltar on the official nomination forms.

Other candidates, such as those for Glasgow North and South Dorset, also raised suspicions when it appeared they had not been campaigning before the election, nor had they provided any contact details.

Regarding his lack of online presence, Mr Ginsburg concluded: “I’m not really an online person, I am interested in politics, and I’m very engaged with that, but I don’t feel the need to broadcast every single thought I ever think 24/7, like some people.

“I think the whole thing is a bit silly, really.”

Although The Guardian reports that the party has accepted that some were “paper candidates”, a Reform source said that all candidates were “categorically real”, whilst party chairman Richard Tice said the speculation was “absurd”.