#candy capital

The hypocrisy of Reform UK!

Nick Candy, the billionaire property tycoon, having defected from the Conservative Party, is now Reform UK Treasurer.

We all know Reform UK is anti immigration and unsurprisingly they suggested a total ban on migration as far as the UK is concerned during the election:

“Reform proposes ‘freeze’ on immigration....  claiming "Britain is broken" and "in decline culturally", and that stopping immigration would "help us at least try to catch up".

Given Reform UK’s strongly held anti-immigration views it really is hypocritical of Nick Candy to be making millions out of migrant labour in the Middle East.

“Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) and UK-based Candy Capital have formed a joint venture to develop three towers in Dubai’s One Central commercial district.”  (MEED: 05/14/23)

A year later and Nick Candy is expanding his property development business connections in Dubai.

“Nick’s private investment firm Candy Capital‘s is partnering with Modon Holding, one of the largest real estate developers in the Middle East, to focus on developing a portfolio of high-end property projects in the region.” (Rental Living News: 24/10/24)

Nothing wrong with making money on overseas development you might argue and you would be right. But, and it is a big but, Candy is Treasurer of a UK political party that is strongly anti-immigration, yet in Dubai nearly 90%  of the  construction workforce consists of migrant workers.

It is therefore almost inevitable that Nick Candy will be employing migrants, perhaps even actively importing them into Dubai, whist at the same time condemning migration in the UK.

The 500,000 migrants who work in the construction industry in Dubai  face challenging conditions, including low wages, long working hours and inadequate living conditions.

This report from Human Rights Watch sums up the hell that is migrant working conditions in Dubai:

“The UAE’s kafala (sponsorship) system ties migrant workers’ visas to their employers, preventing them from changing or leaving employers without permission. Employers can falsely charge workers for absconding” even when escaping abuse, which puts them at risk of fines, arrest, detention, and deportation, all without any due process guarantees. Many low-paid migrant workers were acutely vulnerable to situations that amount to forced labor, including passport confiscation, wage theft, and illegal recruitment fees. Trade unions are not permitted, which prevents workers from collectively bargaining. The UAE still does not have a non-discriminatory minimum wage.” (United Arab Emirates: Events of 2023)