Latest news with #Adegoke
Daily Mail
23-04-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Reform UK council candidate helps Nigerians get UK study visas - while Nigel Farage demands crackdown and blasts UK universities for being 'drunk on foreign money'
A Reform UK candidate runs a company that helps Nigerians get UK study visas - despite party leader Nigel Farage wanting to 'slash' foreign student numbers. Christopher Adegoke is standing as Reform's candidate for the Hucknall West ward on Nottinghamshire County Council at next month's local elections. He is a director at Nigerian-based firm KOT Educational Services & Tours Ltd - a 'placement agency' for international students with a branch office in Nottingham. The firm's website states it offers 'visa counselling and support services' for students to ensure 'the requisite visas are granted'. Mr Adegoke is listed on the British Council database of UK-certified counsellors, who help market UK universities abroad and support foreign students coming to Britain. His role has come under scrutiny ahead of the 1 May local elections, with Mr Farage having voiced concerns about the number of foreign students in the UK. The Reform leader has accused British universities of being 'absolutely drunk on foreign money'. It can also be revealed how Mr Adegoke once backed calls for talks on slavery reparations for African countries. This is despite senior Reform figures having rejected such demands as 'ridiculous' and 'nonsense'. Ahead of the local elections on 1 May, Reform has been stung by a series of revelations about their councillor candidates. This has led to fresh questions about the party's vetting of election hopefuls. A Tory source told MailOnline: 'Nigel Farage personally promised that Reform UK vetting was to a standard never done before. 'So either this was another lie or Reform have developed some new soft-touch migration policies they don't want the country to know about. 'Only a vote for the Conservatives on 1 May will deliver better services and lower taxes.' Mr Farage last year decried the 'staggering' number of sponsored study visas granted in the UK and demanded ministers 'slash' the total. He said many UK universities had 'become absolutely drunk on foreign money', with institutions able to charge overseas students higher fees than British students. 'I wonder whether this is all to the benefit of British students going on to further education,' he said on his GB News show. 'So I think we should slash the numbers. Also, we should be careful about who we allow in, and just coming as a student should not give you automatic leave to remain.' There has also been scrutiny of Mr Adegoke's past activity on social media, as well as his business interests. In 2022, he shared posts on X/Twitter by Nana Akufo-Addo, the then-president of Ghana, demanding 'long overdue' talks on slavery reparations for African nations. Mr Farage last year warned Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer not to 'give an inch' on slavery reparations at a Commonwealth summit. Reform's deputy leader Richard Tice also dismissed calls for slavery reparations as 'ridiculous' and 'nonsense'. In 2022, Mr Adegoke shared posts on X/Twitter by Nana Akufo-Addo, the then-president of Ghana, demanding 'long overdue' talks on slavery reparations for African nations Mr Adegoke posed for a picture with Mr Farage while the Reform leader was campaigning in Sutton-in-Ashfield earlier this month. In a video posted on his Facebook page, Mr Adegoke has explained why he is hoping to become a Reform councillor in Nottinghamshire, where he has lived since 2010. 'I grew up in Africa where I co-founded a children's initative that later evolved into a education placement agency since 1998,' he said. 'We have placed legitimate international students into UK universities and colleges. 'These students have contributed £10million in tuition fees and £3.5million in living costs to the UK economy.' He added: 'It is this legitimate business that brought me to the UK in 2010 as a business migrant. 'And I continue this work until today - supporting UK education institutions and contributing to the economy.' Mr Adegoke admitted some people had asked him why he supported Reform UK, amid accusations they are an 'anti-immigration or even racist' party. 'Let me be clear, Reform UK is not against legal migration - what it firmly opposes is illegal migration,' he said. Mr Adegoke added he had 'proudly passed a rigorous selection process' to be chosen as a Reform candidate. A Reform UK spokesman said: 'The Tories are the architects of the failed mass immigration experiment. They opened the borders and allowed millions in. 'The public know that only Reform UK can be trusted to freeze immigration and stop the boats.'
Telegraph
12-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Author Yomi Adegoke: ‘I'm not a minimalist – especially on the red carpet'
'I think clothes can tell you a lot about a person,' says Yomi Adegoke. 'They're so integral to who my characters are because they're so integral to who I am.' As for how exactly this multi-award-winning author and journalist makes use of sartorial self-expression? That depends on the day. Like many freelance creatives, Adegoke, 33, often works from home – in Thornton Heath, south London, a stone's throw from her childhood home. But her workwear wardrobe reinterprets the old advice that dressing up can aid productivity; instead of stiff office attire, she favours luxurious pyjamas. Elegantly cut pieces from Olivia von Halle, Stripe & Stare, Sleeper and The White Company have seen her through the writing of Slay in Your Lane, a guide to life for young black British women (co-authored with her best friend Elizabeth Uviebinené), and her debut novel, The List. 'I get away with the pyjamas because to the untrained eye, it looks like I'm wearing normal clothes,' she says, praising the rise in elevated sleepwear as daywear. A refreshing disregard for restrictive fashion rules is something of a theme for Adegoke. Growing up with what she calls a 'top-heavy' frame, she sometimes found it difficult to shop for pieces that suited her, or avoided things the industry decreed weren't 'meant for her'. That's a thing of the past, she says, thanks to designers such as Olivia Ozi-Oiza Chance, Edeline Lee and Sinéad O'Dwyer, who cut for a broader spectrum of shapes and sizes. 'The pieces aren't made with a particular body type in mind, they're made with making women look good in mind,' she says. 'That's allowed a level of experimentation that historically wasn't there.' It's to these new-gen brands, as well as more familiar names such as Roksanda and Erdem, that Adegoke turns for black-tie dressing. When she's not exhibiting her penchant for haute pyjamas, she's a regular on the red carpet, choosing captivating, covetable dresses for book launches, industry parties and awards ceremonies including the Baftas. She knows the power of bold colours, and isn't afraid of overdressing. 'I'm certainly not a minimalist, especially for red carpet stuff,' she says. 'I always err on the side of wanting to dress up more. They're not everyday occasions so I like to really pull out the stops.' She credits this flair for joy-sparking glamour to her late grandmother. 'She was just really, really chic and maximalist with her fashion,' says Adegoke. 'Her clothing was so dramatic and so expressive. For her funeral we had four outfit changes – that's just her to a tee.' Another sartorial tribute was drawn from a Nigerian tradition called aso-ebi, a dress code that sees guests cut different styles of clothing from the same fabric. 'My nana's favourite colour was gold so we had 700 or so people dressed in the same yellow fabric in different cuts,' she explains. Back in London, Adegoke maintains an interest in tailoring, personalising pieces she's found online at Net-a-Porter and Mytheresa at nearby alteration spot Top Stitch. 'I don't think I've shopped in person in years,' she says, adding that she scours sites such as Vestiaire Collective, Vinted and eBay for second-hand designer gems. Currently in her basket? A Fendi Multipocket Baguette, which has reportedly been there for at least a year. 'I'm trying to legitimise it as a purchase,' she says. 'My bag collection is extensive – almost embarrassingly large.' But the focus remains on quality, and she's developed a habit of buying herself investment bags to mark career successes such as book publications and television deals (the rights for The List have been snapped up). Given that she's now working on her second novel, that Baguette can't be far off. Five personal style rules 1. Break the rules 'I love to clash. I enjoy doing things you're not supposed to do, like putting silver and gold jewellery together.' 2. Don't underestimate accessories 'Accessories often matter more to me than the actual clothes I'm wearing. You could wear rags but have a great bag and shoes to do up the outfit.' 3. Mark achievements with investment pieces 'The pieces I've bought myself to celebrate successes mean a lot to me.' 4. Embrace 'ugly' shoes 'Since lockdown I have a real thing for comfortable shoes. I love my Crocs and have even worn them to more formal events, dressing them up with a nice bag.' 5. Wear what you want 'As I've got older, I've stopped caring about what you're 'meant to' wear to suit certain shapes. I'm grateful that things are more diverse in terms of thinking now.'
