Reform UK: officials, incidents and party record

Reform UK, also known as the Reform Party, is a right-wing populist and far-right political party in the United Kingdom, founded by Nigel Farage and Catherine Blaiklock on 23 November 2018 as the Brex

Leader: Nigel Farage

Founded: 2018

Headquarters: Millbank Tower, 21–24 Millbank, London SW1P 4QP

Ideology: Right-wing populism, Hard Euroscepticism

Position: Right-wing to far-right

Membership: 268,000 (December 2025)

Website: https://www.reformparty.uk/

Reform UK, also known as the Reform Party, is a right-wing populist and far-right political party in the United Kingdom, founded by Nigel Farage and Catherine Blaiklock on 23 November 2018 as the Brexit Party and renamed Reform UK in January 2021. Nigel Farage has been leader since June 2024, with Richard Tice as Deputy Leader and Lee Anderson as Chairman. Positioned to the right of the Conservative Party, it advocates right-wing populism and hard Euroscepticism under the slogan "Britain is broken. Britain needs Reform." The party has eight MPs in the House of Commons, seventeen members of the Scottish Parliament, thirty-four members of the Senedd, two members of the London Assembly, two directly elected mayors and two police and crime commissioners, and around 2,330 local councillors, controlling thirty-five councils. Its membership stood at 268,000 in December 2025, and it is governed by the Reform UK Board from its headquarters at Millbank Tower in London.

Reform UK policy documents

Tracked Reform UK representatives (2162)

Recorded party incidents (showing 201-250 of 319)

Pochin corrected live on air after claiming Afghan and Eritrean asylum seekers have "a particular problem" with sexual violence

Category: xenophobia

Location: BBC Politics Live

On BBC Politics Live on 21 July 2025, Sarah Pochin said it was "a fact that this particular element, particularly Afghan, particularly Eritrean asylum seekers, have a particular problem with sexual assaults and sexual violence against women". She repeated that they were "far higher to offend" and told a fellow guest: "It's people like you in denial that's putting women like me at risk." Presenter Vicki Young corrected her on air, citing 129 such offences over three years out of 16,771 convictions where nationality was known. Pochin had also repeated unsourced claims that Afghans brought to the UK after a Ministry of Defence data leak were convicted sex offenders, which the Defence Secretary denied.

Sources: https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/reform-uk-mp-given-brutal-reality-check-by-bbc-journalist-after-on-air-bust-up_uk_687e44d1e4b0502d85e59888 https://leftfootforward.org/2025/07/reform-mps-outrageous-claim-about-afghan-and-eritrean-asylum-seekers-fact-checked-on-air/

Residents rejected Pochin's claims that immigrants had blighted a Runcorn street

Category: inflammatory language

Location: Greenway Road, Runcorn

In a Facebook video posted in July 2025, Sarah Pochin said she had received "disturbing reports" of violence, anti-social behaviour, rubbish strewn around the streets and "potential domestic abuse" on Greenway Road in Runcorn, which she linked to houses in multiple occupation used to house immigrants. Residents said the portrayal was untrue and asked to meet her, and Cheshire Constabulary said it had received no such reports. Church warden Robert Littler accused her of pursuing a "personal agenda" and of "scaremongering and hate-stirring". She dismissed the residents' open letter as "falsehoods, personal attacks, and political smears" and refused to apologise.

Sources: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c98w0dj0x8ko https://www.hellorayo.co.uk/hits-radio/liverpool/news/residents-runcorn-road-meeting-mps-claims-crime

Zia Yusuf's X account liked an antisemitic and racist post about Robert Jenrick

Category: social media conduct

On 18 July 2025 Yusuf's X account was recorded liking a post that called Robert Jenrick a "traitorous Zogbot with a Jewish wife and family" and claimed he had "imported infinite brown savages to rape our women and children." The post used an established antisemitic slur alongside overtly racist language. Yusuf apologised, saying a member of the team who posts to his account had accidentally pressed like, and noted the post was also racist towards him. Jenrick dismissed the explanation as "bullshit" and called on Nigel Farage to give Yusuf "the boot." Rael Braverman said he had left Reform because he could not be in a party he considered to be led by Yusuf.

Sources: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/jenrick-calls-for-reform-uk-to-give-yusef-the-boot-over-antisemitic-social-media-post/ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/07/18/reform-zia-yusuf-sorry-like-anti-semitic-post-jenrick/ https://www.thejc.com/news/politics/reform-uk-zia-yusuf-jenrick-zogbot-antisemitic-tweet-k8i923go

Pochin told Muslim women who wear the burqa to "go back to where it is acceptable"

Category: xenophobia

Location: United Kingdom

In an interview with The Times published on 11 July 2025, Sarah Pochin said of the burqa: "Well, they are an offensive and misogynistic item of clothing, aren't they?" She added: "A burqa is not our culture and if you want to wear it, go back to where it is acceptable." In the same interview she said illegal immigrants "must be sent back home" while discussing sexual violence against women. Telling British Muslim women to leave the country over their clothing is a straightforward statement that they do not belong here. It came weeks after her own party chairman had said her burqa ban question was not Reform policy.

Sources: https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/sarah-pochin-reform-mp-interview-nigel-farage-2vtsddb8l https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/sarah-pochin-doesnt-care-racist-rachel-johnson-reform-rpXy5_2/

James McMurdock gave up Reform UK whip over Covid loan questions

Category: financial conduct concern

Location: East of England

James McMurdock, elected as the Reform UK MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock, gave up the party whip in July 2025 after The Times raised questions about tens of thousands of pounds in Bounce Back loans taken out by companies linked to him during the Covid-19 pandemic. He denied any wrongdoing and said he had complied with the rules as he understood them at the time. He continues to sit as an independent MP.

Sources: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c78n1dxl8wwo

Nigel Farage calls Welsh people 'foreign speakers' in paid Cameo video

Category: xenophobia

In July 2025 Nigel Farage described Welsh people as "foreign speakers" in a paid-for personalised video message he recorded on the Cameo platform for a wedding. The clip, for which he charged £106, contained two takes in which he said he would not attend because "half the guests were Welsh" and referred to "foreign speakers" and being "mobbed". The remarks risk damaging Reform UK's campaign ahead of Senedd elections in Wales and follow other Cameo clips in which Farage used derogatory language about groups. A spokesperson for Farage said a Cameo is a short personalised message requested by members of the public and "should not be treated as political statements or campaign activity".

Edward Hill expelled by Reform UK over unauthorised letter on free school meals

Category: party management issue

Location: Devon

Edward Hill was elected as the Reform UK councillor for Pinhoe and Mincinglake in Devon in May 2025. He was expelled from the party in July 2025 after publishing a letter about free school meals in the name of all Reform UK councillors in Devon without their consent. Hill said he had been removed for attempting to uphold principles of "accountability, responsibility and honesty", and he later joined Advance UK. Reform UK did not publish a detailed account of its decision.

Sources: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y3zy18vn0o

Jack McGlenen expelled after allegations of drunken and abusive behaviour at Armed Forces Day

Category: inappropriate behaviour

Location: Durham

Jack McGlenen, elected as a Reform UK councillor in Durham in May 2025, was expelled from the party in September 2025 following what Reform UK described as a "robust disciplinary process". The party acted on accusations of public drunkenness, abusive behaviour towards hospitality staff, and disparaging remarks about Reform UK at an Armed Forces Day event in Seaham on 28 June 2025. The allegations were reported after the event and were not tested in court. McGlenen has not published a detailed public response to the findings.

Sources: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9wdxdrrj4ko

Laila Cunningham resigned as a Crown Prosecution Service prosecutor after politically charged remarks

Category: ethics violation

Location: London

Laila Cunningham resigned from her post as a Crown Prosecution Service prosecutor in June 2025, days after making a series of politically charged public statements while defecting from the Conservative Party to Reform UK. Prosecuting lawyers are bound by civil service rules restricting political activity that could be seen to compromise impartiality. The CPS confirmed her resignation had been offered and accepted. It is understood she would have been likely to face a disciplinary process had she remained in post. Cunningham has said she was called in for a meeting after her remarks were published.

Foreign Secretary told Pochin to "get some help" after she repeated a Chagos conspiracy theory in the Commons

Category: factual inaccuracy

Location: House of Commons

On 23 June 2025, during a Commons statement on the Middle East, Sarah Pochin asked Foreign Secretary David Lammy whether the United States felt unable to use the Diego Garcia base for strikes on Iran because of the Chagos Islands agreement with Mauritius, which she suggested would tip off China and then Iran. Lammy told her to "get off social media" and to "get some help because she's swallowing conspiracy theories which should not be repeated in this House". Ministers confirmed the United States had not asked to use the base. A serving MP had brought an unfounded online theory into a debate on military action.

Sources: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/david-lammy-liberal-democrat-stephen-doughty-reform-middle-east-b2775378.html https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/david-lammy-liberal-democrat-foreign-secretary-stephen-doughty-reform-b1234478.html https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/get-some-help-david-lammy-mocks-reform-mp-for-repeating-conspiracy-theory-in-commons_uk_68598626e4b0eb84d4e0e5b0

BBC investigation reported former staff allegations about Zia Yusuf's conduct at Velocity Black

Category: inappropriate behaviour

A BBC investigation published in June 2025, after Yusuf became Reform UK chairman, quoted former staff at his concierge business Velocity Black describing what they said was unpredictable and controlling behaviour, a climate of fear and frequent dismissals. The report also examined revenue figures signed off for a fastest-growing companies ranking, which former colleagues said used gross rather than net figures. Yusuf rejected the financial allegation, said the company's finance team led that process and that the figures were accurate to the best of their knowledge. He also denied a separate claim about an animal being left in the office overnight. The allegations are contested and no regulatory finding has been made against him.

Sources: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c991epp257lo

Nigel Farage forgives Zia Yusuf after burka remarks

Category: inflammatory language

On 9 June 2025 in Port Talbot, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said he had "forgiven" Zia Yusuf after Yusuf criticised the party's newly elected MP Sarah Pochin and briefly resigned as party chairman. Farage said Yusuf had "lost his rag" and told him "don't do it again". The row began after Pochin asked the prime minister about banning the burka. Yusuf posted on social media calling the question "dumb", later said he regretted the post and blamed exhaustion for a poor decision, and described the episode as a "storm in a teacup"; he stepped down as chair but returned two days later to lead the party's Doge unit and remains a major donor to the party.

Zia Yusuf called a Reform MP's burqa question "dumb", resigned as chairman and returned two days later

Category: inappropriate behaviour

After Sarah Pochin used her first Prime Minister's Questions to ask Keir Starmer to ban the burqa, Yusuf posted that he had "no idea about the question nor that it wasn't policy" and that it was "dumb for a party to ask the PM if they would do something the party itself wouldn't do." Hours later, on 5 June 2025, he resigned as chairman, saying he no longer believed working to get a Reform government elected was a good use of his time. He returned on 7 June 2025 after talks with Nigel Farage, citing exhaustion and the racist abuse directed at him, and took charge of a new efficiency unit. He later described the intervention as an error and said that were he an MP he would probably support banning face coverings in public. Farage said he had forgiven him and told him not to do it again, with party sources briefing that Farage had shown him who was boss.

Sources: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/jun/05/zia-yusuf-quits-as-chair-of-reform-uk-after-new-mp-burqa-ban-row https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/jun/07/zia-yusuf-return-reform-uk https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq54p9epdg6o

Adam Smith suspended and expelled by Reform UK over conduct concerns

Category: party management issue

Location: West Northamptonshire

Adam Smith was elected as a Reform UK councillor for Hackleton and Roade on West Northamptonshire Council in May 2025. The party suspended the whip in early June 2025, citing what it described as "a number of concerns regarding the conduct of councillor Adam Smith". He was subsequently expelled from the party group and listed as an independent, before resigning his council seat amid the fallout. Reform UK has not set out the substance of the concerns in public, and Smith has not published a detailed response.

Sources: https://www.markpack.org.uk/174800/adam-smith-reform-uk-loses-yet-another-councillor/

Pochin used her first PMQs to call for a ban on the burqa

Category: discriminatory remark

Location: House of Commons

At her first Prime Minister's Questions on 4 June 2025, Sarah Pochin asked Keir Starmer whether he would "in the interests of public safety, follow the lead of France, Denmark, Belgium and others and ban the burqa". The question singled out the dress of Muslim women and was not linked to any specific security incident. Reform UK chairman Zia Yusuf publicly described the question as "dumb" and said a burqa ban was not party policy, before briefly resigning from the role. The episode showed a Reform MP using the despatch box to target a religious minority, with her own party chairman unable to defend it.

Sources: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cql2pzr5qlqo https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/reform-farage-pochin-yusuf-burqa-ban-b2764158.html

Mark Broadhurst expelled by Reform UK over social media posts

Category: hate speech

Location: Doncaster

Mark Broadhurst was elected as a Reform UK councillor in Doncaster in May 2025 and was expelled from the party group around four weeks later following an internal investigation into his social media history. Reporting on the investigation cited posts comparing black Islamic dress to "bin bags" and a since deleted meme suggesting Adolf Hitler would have been "a legend" if he had targeted Muslims instead of Jews. Reform UK removed the whip and he continued to sit as an independent councillor. He has not published a detailed response to the material attributed to him.

Sources: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjdzr0pn8xlo

Wayne Titley resigned two weeks after election following Channel boats Facebook post

Category: inflammatory language

Location: Staffordshire

Wayne Titley was elected as the Reform UK councillor for Eccleshall and Gnosall in Staffordshire on 1 May 2025, winning by 27 votes, and resigned on 15 May 2025 citing personal reasons. He had faced criticism over a since removed Facebook post calling for the navy to intercept and sink small boats in the Channel with gunfire. Reform UK attributed the resignation to the level of abuse he had received. A by-election was subsequently arranged for the division.

Sources: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c780x08450lo

Pochin used maiden speech to claim 900 illegal immigrants live in Runcorn

Category: factual inaccuracy

Location: House of Commons

In her maiden speech on 12 May 2025, during the Commons debate on the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, Sarah Pochin told MPs there were "over 900 illegal immigrants, that we know about, living in Runcorn". She opened by joking that colleagues had dragged themselves out of the pub to hear her. No source was given for the figure, and no published Home Office or Halton Borough Council data supports it. The claim set the tone for her subsequent record in Parliament, in which immigration figures have repeatedly been asserted without evidence.

Sources: https://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2025-05-12e.117.1 https://www.parallelparliament.co.uk/mp/sarah-pochin/debate/2025-05-12/commons/commons-chamber/border-security-asylum-and-immigration-bill https://www.runcornandwidnesworld.co.uk/news/25157910.everything-runcorn-mp-sarah-pochin-said-first-commons-speech/

Andrew Kilburn resigned Durham seat over undeclared council employment

Category: undisclosed interest

Location: Durham

Andrew Kilburn was elected as a Reform UK councillor for Benfieldside on Durham County Council on 1 May 2025. He resigned just over a week later after it emerged that he had not declared his employment with Durham County Council, a disclosure required of candidates and members. Reform UK said he was "required to resign his seat". His council profile was removed and a by-election was called for the ward.

Sources: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0k38pp1573o

Caroline Gladwin suspended by Reform UK after internal investigation on the Isle of Wight

Category: party management issue

Location: Isle of Wight

Caroline Gladwin was elected as a Reform UK councillor on the Isle of Wight in May 2025 and was suspended by the party following an internal investigation, before being reinstated. She subsequently stood as an independent candidate rather than for Reform UK. The party has not published the findings of its investigation.

Sources: https://onthewight.com/caroline-gladwin-removed-as-reform-uk-councillor-after-internal-investigation-findings

Rupert Lowe referred to police over alleged threats to Zia Yusuf, with no charges brought

Category: other

On 7 March 2025 Reform UK suspended its MP Rupert Lowe and referred him to the Metropolitan Police over allegations that he had made physical threats against Yusuf on at least two occasions, alongside a separate complaint concerning the treatment of female staff. Lowe denied both, called the threat allegations untrue and said he believed he had been pushed out for talking too much about mass deportations. The Crown Prosecution Service announced on 14 May 2025 that there was insufficient evidence to charge Lowe over the alleged threats. The dispute split the party publicly and produced a sustained wave of racist and anti-Muslim abuse aimed at Yusuf from accounts aligned with Reform, which he and Nigel Farage later cited as a factor in his resignation as chairman.

Sources: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4ge5jl62nro https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/may/14/former-reform-mp-rupert-lowe-says-nigel-farage-must-never-be-prime-minister https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/reform-zia-yusuf-racist-abuse-3735796

Tice dismissed man-made climate change as 'absolute garbage' on Sky News

Category: factual inaccuracy

Location: Sky News studio

On 17 February 2025 Richard Tice, then Reform UK deputy leader and MP for Boston and Skegness, told Sky News that there was no evidence man-made carbon dioxide was affecting the climate, describing the proposition as "absolute garbage". He also dismissed the idea of policy action by referring to the power of the sun and volcanoes. Climate scientists rejected the claim. Bob Ward of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change at the London School of Economics said the remarks were categorically wrong. In November 2025 Tice told Sky News that humans had "possibly" affected the climate, but "if so, a very modest percentage", a shift in emphasis rather than a withdrawal of the earlier claim.

Sources: https://news.sky.com/story/reform-uks-richard-tice-dismisses-man-made-climate-change-as-garbage-13311385 https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/news/richard-tice-slammed-for-spreading-climate-change-misinformation/ https://news.sky.com/story/humans-have-possibly-influenced-climate-change-reform-uks-richard-tice-says-13464430

Tice claimed a 'massive, massive cover up' of grooming gangs and 'two-tier justice'

Category: inflammatory language

Location: Sky News

On 5 January 2025 Richard Tice told Sky News that there had been a "massive, massive cover up" of grooming gang offending which he described as carried out by people of "mainly Pakistani heritage". He characterised the response to the scandal as "two-tier justice" and a deliberate cover up, and called for a full national inquiry. The remarks were made during a wider political row over grooming gangs in early January 2025, during which Tice also praised Elon Musk's interventions. Labour figures described the intervention as ridiculous.

Sources: https://news.sky.com/video/two-tier-justice-and-deliberate-cover-up-in-grooming-scandal-says-reform-uks-richard-tice-13283969 https://news.sky.com/story/reform-deputy-praises-popular-elon-musk-as-labour-criticises-ridiculous-grooming-gangs-intervention-13283966

Nigel Farage praised freeing jailed ex‑Honduran president and 'Free Diddy' in paid Cameo videos

Category: ethics violation

Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK and a sitting MP, recorded paid personalised videos on the Cameo platform in early 2025 in which he commended efforts to free former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández and urged the release of rapper Sean 'Diddy' Combs. One video commissioned in January 2025 praised campaigners seeking Hernández's release, and another around March 2025 included the phrase 'Free Diddy' and a hardline border-control line requested by a customer, delivered as birthday messages for paying users. Hernández had been convicted in the United States in 2024 for drug trafficking and Combs was being held in Brooklyn awaiting trial at the time of the recordings. Farage's spokesperson said the Cameo recordings should not be treated as political statements and described them as part of many thousands of paid messages; the videos have drawn public scrutiny but no formal sanction by the party or parliamentary authorities has been reported.

Sajjad Raja investigated for chanting 'from the river to the sea' at protest

Category: hate speech

Sajjad Raja, the Reform UK candidate for the Moortown ward in Leeds, was filmed chanting "from the river to the sea" while taking part in a Workers Party of Britain protest in Leeds in June 2024, footage of which later emerged. Video posted to his TikTok account shows him at the front of a march holding a Workers Party sign and chanting slogans including "end apartheid" and "Israel is a terrorist state" as well as "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free". Reform UK said it was looking into the footage and Raja was approached for comment. Nigel Farage has described the slogan as a "hate slogan" and Robert Jenrick has called it "genocidal". Raja remains the party's nominated candidate for Moortown while the inquiry is ongoing.

Zia Yusuf remained a Conservative member while serving as Reform UK chairman

Category: undisclosed interest

Zia Yusuf donated a six-figure sum to Reform UK in June 2024 and was appointed party chairman on 11 July 2024. The Guardian established that his Conservative Party membership was still active throughout that period, and that the Conservatives revoked it only after the newspaper raised the matter. Yusuf said cancelling had proved "quite hard to actually" do and that "for all I know I might still have a direct debit." The Conservative constitution bars members from publicly supporting another party. While the membership stood, Yusuf would have been eligible to vote in the Conservative leadership contest then under way, at the same time as chairing a rival party and funding its campaigns.

Sources: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/aug/08/reform-uk-chair-was-member-of-conservatives-until-last-week https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1933720/reform-uk-bombshell-new-chairman-conservatives

Recorded incident

Category: inflammatory language

Location: United Kingdom

Ian Gribbin, a Reform UK candidate described Nazis as "real visionaries", as reported by The Times. The comment formed part of a wider pattern of inflammatory remarks attributed to Reform UK candidates in recent media coverage. Separate reporting identified Ian Gribbin, Reform UK’s candidate in Bexhill and Battle, as having written in 2022 that "Britain would be in a far better state today had we taken Hitler up on his offer of neutrality" and making a series of misogynistic online posts for which he later apologised. The party’s senior figures said they would review such conduct and pointed to vetting difficulties caused by the unexpected election timetable.

Bob Lomas apologises for racist social media comment after being sacked by Reform

Category: racism

Bob Lomas, a former Reform UK candidate, posted an apology on Instagram on 13 March 2026 for a racist Facebook comment he made in 2024 in which he said "Black people should get off their lazy arses" and "stop acting like savages." The apology came after he appeared on Channel 4’s Handcuffed, where he spent time chained to youth worker Chris Preddie who challenged his views. Lomas was dropped as Reform’s candidate for Barnsley North and disowned by party leader Nigel Farage in June 2024 after the social media remarks were publicised. He initially defended his wording but said in the Instagram post that he "vehemently apologises" and acknowledged he had made a mistake; he remains a former member of the party.

Tice co-founded Leave.EU, which was fined £70,000 by the Electoral Commission

Category: other

Richard Tice co-founded the Leave.EU campaign with Arron Banks and was one of its most prominent figures. On 11 May 2018 the Electoral Commission fined Leave.EU Group Ltd £70,000 for breaches of election law, including inaccurate spending returns, and referred its chief executive Liz Bilney to the police. The fine and referral were made against the company and its chief executive, not against Tice personally. In September 2019 the National Crime Agency said it had found no evidence of criminality in Arron Banks's funding of the campaign. In October 2020 Leave.EU apologised and paid substantial libel damages to the Labour MP Naz Shah over a false claim that she was a "grooming gangs apologist".

Sources: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-44080096 https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/sites/default/files/pdf_file/Report-on-Investigation-Leave.EU.pdf https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/sep/24/no-evidence-leave-eu-and-arron-banks-broke-law-says-agency-brexit https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/leave-eu-naz-shah-libel-damages-b738538.html

Bray, a former UKIP candidate, declared "all terrorists are Muslim"

Category: offensive

Jeff Bray, a Reform UK candidate who previously stood for UKIP, publicly declared that "not all Muslims are terrorists, but all terrorists are Muslim". The statement is factually false and applies collective guilt for terrorism to every follower of Islam worldwide, a formulation long identified as core Islamophobic rhetoric. The comment was surfaced in HOPE not hate's 30 April 2026 report "60 Reasons (and Counting) to Not Vote Reform on May 7th", which noted the movement of former UKIP figures into Reform's candidate list without meaningful re-vetting. Reform stood him for the 7 May 2026 elections despite claiming its vetting was "the best in the country".

Mayor placed under investigation after historic discriminatory posts emerge

Category: social media conduct

Sue Eacock is the subject of an investigation into her online conduct. Media coverage states that Reform UK and local authorities were approached for comment but that neither the party nor Eacock had responded to requests at the time of reporting, and questions have been raised about her suitability for the ceremonial mayoralty in light of the posts.

Candidate quit citing ignored messages and unpaid web development work

Category: party management issue

James Glen, Reform UK's candidate for Edinburgh North Western in the 2026 Holyrood elections, withdrew on 28 March 2026 in solidarity with his partner Linda Holt. Glen also revealed he had provided months of free web-development work for the party, only to have his messages ignored by the Scottish organiser. In his statement on X, Glen wrote: "I have withdrawn my candidacy for Reform UK. I fully support Linda in her decision and the reasons behind it." He added: "They were happy to take my months of web development work for free though."

Candidate withdrew after racist social media posts resurfaced

Category: racism

Linda Holt, Reform UK's candidate for North East Fife in the 2026 Holyrood elections, withdrew on 27 March 2026 citing "a lack of support from the party." Past social media posts resurfaced in which she called former First Minister Humza Yousaf a "grandstanding Islamist moron," referred to him as "a brown FM" and "not British," and claimed that asylum seekers posed a "higher sexual risk" to women than Scottish-born men. In her statement, Holt said: "Due to a lack of support from the party, I am withdrawing my candidacy for Reform with immediate effect."

Candidate withdraws saying name published prematurely in error

Category: party management issue

Roland Jackson (also reported as Ronald Jackson), listed as Reform UK's candidate for Mid Fife and Glenrothes in the 2026 Holyrood elections, withdrew around 26-27 March 2026. He stated that he never intended to stand due to family reasons and that his name had been published "prematurely in error" by the party. The withdrawal was the latest in a string of early departures from Reform UK's Scottish slate.

Candidate denies standing after name published on party list

Category: party management issue

Jordan Brown was listed as Reform UK's candidate for Aberdeen Central when the party's Holyrood candidate list was published on 20 March 2026. However, he immediately told the University of Aberdeen student paper The Gaudie: "I'm not a candidate." The incident appeared to be either an administrative error by the party or an instant change of mind, raising further questions about the vetting and selection process for Reform UK's Scottish campaign.

Candidate suspended over Covid Bounce Back Loan misconduct

Category: financial conduct concern

Reform UK's Holyrood candidate for Dundee City West, Stuart Niven, was suspended less than 24 hours after the party's Scottish candidate list was announced on 20 March 2026. The Herald revealed that Niven had been disqualified as a company director for seven years after diverting tens of thousands of pounds from a taxpayer-backed Covid Bounce Back Loan into his personal account while serving as director of Britannia Maritime Security Ltd, a Glasgow-based shipping security firm. Scotland leader Malcolm Offord said the party had "spent a lot of time on vetting" but suspended Niven "pending further investigation." No replacement has been named.

Long-standing member resigned accusing party of betrayal

Category: party management issue

Patrick Benham-Crosswell, a long-standing Reform UK member from the Brexit Party era and a Senedd candidate for Gwyr Abertawe, resigned from the party entirely around 28 March 2026. He accused Reform of "betrayal" of early members' vision, criticising the party for parachuting outsiders into constituencies and losing its original values. He stated that "Reform has sunk deep into the sewer" and described the selection process as "increasingly dictatorial."

Councillor suspended after alleged far-right WhatsApp posts

Category: hate speech

County Councillor Tom Pickup (Reform UK) was suspended by the party after posting in a far-right WhatsApp group and making comments urging an expelled hardline MP to lead the party, while asserting that Reform UK was deliberately downplaying its immigration policy to be palatable to the public. It was reported that messages posted by others in the group included calls for Keir Starmer to be shot, talks of stockpiling weapons to commit domestic terrorism and extreme racist rhetoric, including calls for a "mass genocide of Islam". Pickup said he was not aware of those other posts, stated his contributions were months apart, and said he respected the party's decision and intends to sit as an independent while an investigation takes place.

Questions over councillor's police dismissal for honesty breaches

Category: ethics violation

Andrew Hamilton-Gray, a newly elected Reform UK councillor for Loughborough, was dismissed from Leicestershire Police in January 2024 following a misconduct panel finding. The panel found breaches of professional standards including "honesty and integrity, discreditable conduct, orders and instructions, and duties and responsibilities", and it was reported he called in sick hours before taking a ferry to Spain to sell a car and was later stopped while signed off sick during a test drive. Dismissing him, then chief constable Rob Nixon described his conduct as "deliberate" and said it was likely to "undermine confidence in policing". Mr Hamilton-Gray has said he has been advised not to comment, and the matter concerns past employment disciplinary action rather than conduct in his councillor role.

Councillor removed from committee after 'downright evil' remarks

Category: inappropriate behaviour

It was reported that Andy Osborn, a newly elected Reform UK county councillor, told a Cambridgeshire County Council children and young people committee meeting that some children in care were "not just naughty children, they can be downright evil", and he suggested their behaviour had been learned from parents. Local Reform UK group leader James Sidlow described the comments as "clumsy and regrettable" and said they did not reflect the local group or the national party. The party subsequently removed Osborn from his committee role and Sidlow said he would sit on the panel instead after the matter was dealt with internally. The council reaffirmed its commitment to children in care, and other councillors and officers emphasised that children taken into care may have experienced trauma which can lead to challenging behaviour.

Councillor apologises after comments described as 'blatant racism'

Category: racism

Councillor Mark Howard apologised after comments he made during a Gloucestershire County Council meeting were described by fellow councillors as "ridiculous" and "blatant racism". The remarks, made during a debate on the use of hotels to accommodate asylum seekers, included a comment referencing Muslim women "walking three paces behind their husbands", which Howard addressed in a written apology and said "was not meant to cause offence" and "drew on unhelpful stereotypes". Conservative councillor Sajid Patel objected at the time and Conservative Group Leader Stephen Davies lodged a standards complaint and appealed to Reform UK central office. It was reported that Reform took no further action and that the complaint to Gloucestershire County Council was not progressed.

Councillor suspended after alleged racist social media posts

Category: racism

Councillor James Regan was suspended by Reform UK pending an investigation after it was reported that he posted racist comments on social media relating to protests outside a hotel used to accommodate migrants in Epping. Reports say Regan described the site as a “paedophile babysitting centre”, called Islam “an evil criminal cartel of evil pedo’s [sic]” and wrote that “Islam will suck our benefit system dry”. A fellow Reform councillor, Jaymey McIvor, was reported to have warned him about his language on one of the videos. A Reform UK spokesman said, "Cllr Regan has been suspended from Reform UK pending investigation. We do not tolerate any forms of racism." Reporters were unable to contact Regan for comment.

Councillor faces allegations over WhatsApp messages calling for genocide

Category: hate speech

Councillor Tom Pickup is said to have been suspended by Reform UK while the party investigates reports about messages in a WhatsApp group. Local reports allege he was identified as a participant in a chat where messages reportedly called for "mass Islam genocide" and one message said the prime minister "needs a f***ing bullet". Pickup is said to have admitted to being in the group and reportedly expressed support for mass deportations during the exchange. Reform UK confirmed the suspension while its internal investigation is carried out.

David Taylor quit Reform UK over council tax rise he said broke manifesto pledge

Category: party management issue

Location: Worcestershire

David Taylor left Reform UK in Worcestershire over plans to raise council tax, which he said conflicted with commitments the party had made in its manifesto. He continued to serve as an independent councillor. Reform UK has not published a detailed response to his criticism of the budget decision.

Sources: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgjg1pgr14o

Questions over Reform UK candidate after allegedly racist social posts

Category: hate speech

It was reported that Mike Manning, the Reform UK candidate for the Zetland ward by-election in Redcar, had posted social media comments described as "racist, antisemitic, xenophobic". Reform UK withdrew its support for his candidacy, saying the comments were "unacceptable" and that Mr Manning did not declare his X account during vetting. Mr Manning apologised and posted, "In light of the unfortunate tweets I made, for which I profusely apologise, I have now resigned from the Reform party. If I could, I would withdraw my name from the ballot." He remained listed as a Reform UK candidate on ballot papers because electoral law prevents changes after publication, and the party said he would not be permitted to sit as a Reform UK councillor if elected.

Questions over racist social posts linked to council leader

Category: racism

Questions were raised after social media posts linked to Ian Cooper allegedly targeted public figures and migrants with racist language. It was reported that he called the London mayor a “narcissistic Pakistani” and said migrants were “intent on colonising the UK, destroying all that has gone before”. A Reform UK spokesperson said that, following an investigation into undeclared social media accounts during candidate vetting, Cooper’s membership of Reform UK has been revoked, and he is no longer leader of Staffordshire County Council. Cooper has not responded to the allegations.

Jones claimed a Labour vote means "you get Sharia" and dismissed Omicron as "bollocks"

Category: offensive

Trevor Jones, a Reform UK candidate, posted that a vote for the Labour Party means "you get Sharia", conflating support for a mainstream British political party with the imposition of Islamic religious law. He separately shared conspiracy-theorist posts about Covid-19, including a statement that the Omicron variant was "bollocks". The posts were surfaced in HOPE not hate's 30 April 2026 report "60 Reasons (and Counting) to Not Vote Reform on May 7th". Reform UK stood him for the 7 May 2026 elections despite claiming its vetting was "the best in the country".

Arnold said "Putin might have got a point" and disavowed support for Ukraine

Category: offensive

Theresa Arnold, a Reform UK candidate, said publicly that she had "never supported Ukraine" and that she thinks "Putin might have got a point". The remarks aligned a would-be UK elected representative with the invading power in an ongoing war of aggression against a sovereign European neighbour. The comments were surfaced in HOPE not hate's 30 April 2026 report "60 Reasons (and Counting) to Not Vote Reform on May 7th". Reform UK stood her for the 7 May 2026 elections despite the party's public claim its vetting was "the best in the country".

Aaron Roy expelled by Reform UK weeks after defecting from Labour

Category: party management issue

Location: Hartlepool

Aaron Roy, a councillor in Hartlepool, joined Reform UK from Labour and was expelled by the party only weeks later following a dispute about flags in the town. Reform UK removed him from its group, and he no longer represents the party on the council. Trackers monitoring Reform UK councillor losses since the May 2025 elections record the expulsion among a series of early departures from the party's newly elected local base. Reform UK has not published a detailed account of the disciplinary decision.

Sources: https://www.markpack.org.uk/175342/how-many-councillors-has-reform-uk-lost-since-may/

Sarah-Jane Shields removed as a Reform UK candidate in Basildon

Category: party management issue

Location: Basildon

Sarah-Jane Shields, a councillor for Wickford Park in Basildon, was removed as a Reform UK candidate and is standing as an independent in local elections in the borough. Reform UK has not published its reasons for the deselection. Trackers monitoring the party's councillor losses since May 2025 record the removal among a wider set of departures.

Sources: https://www.markpack.org.uk/175342/how-many-councillors-has-reform-uk-lost-since-may/