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 251-300 of 319)

Beresford replied "Me!" to a call to deport all British Muslims

Category: offensive

Senga Beresford, a Reform UK candidate, was found to have made a series of offensive social media posts, including expressions of support for Tommy Robinson and, most strikingly, replying "Me!" to a public post calling for all British Muslims to be deported. Her reply publicly volunteered her personal support for the mass removal of an entire British religious community. 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 her for the 7 May 2026 elections despite claiming its vetting was "the best in the country".

Andrew Thorp resigned Leicestershire seat months after election for Reform UK

Category: party management issue

Location: Leicestershire

Andrew Thorp was elected as a Reform UK councillor in Leicestershire in May 2025 and resigned his council seat during the same term, triggering a vacancy in the ward. Trackers monitoring Reform UK councillor losses since the May 2025 elections record his departure among a run of early exits from the party's new local base. Reform UK has not published an account of the circumstances.

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

Taylor posted "Great Britain not an Islamic colony" and endorsed rejecting non-"British to the bone" candidates

Category: offensive

Paul Taylor, a Reform UK candidate, posted anti-Muslim content on Facebook, including a statement declaring "Great Britain not an Islamic colony". Beneath a public advert for a Muslim candidate he endorsed a comment reading "would never vote for anyone who is not British to the bone", explicitly applying a racial/religious loyalty test to who is entitled to seek office. 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".

Menday described himself as an ethnonationalist and blamed Jewish people for antisemitism

Category: offensive

Nathaniel Menday, a Reform UK candidate, publicly described himself as an ethnonationalist, an ideology that defines legitimate nationhood by ethnicity, and posted that Jewish people bring antisemitism on themselves because they "overwhelmingly favour open borders". The formulation transfers responsibility for hatred against Jews onto Jews themselves and is a long-standing motif in modern antisemitism. 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".

Roberts claimed nursery abuse would "skyrocket" if Welsh parents got free childcare

Category: offensive

Martin Roberts, a Reform UK candidate ahead of the Senedd elections, claimed that abuse in nurseries would "skyrocket" if Welsh parents were offered more hours of free childcare, adding that "mothers will wish they had looked after their babies themselves". The comments imply that expanded childcare provision would drive abuse of children and that working mothers should regret using the service. 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 Wales retained him as a candidate for the 7 May 2026 elections despite the party's public claim its vetting was "the best in the country".

Tucker labelled climate change an "obscene climate scam" and part of a "Climate Cult"

Category: offensive

Mark Tucker, a Reform UK candidate, voiced both climate change and Covid-19 conspiracy theories on X, describing climate change as an "obscene climate scam" and framing the global response as a "Climate Cult" designed to strip individuals of their freedoms. The posts reject both the scientific consensus on climate change and the public health rationale for coordinated pandemic response. The remarks 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".

Mark Whittington quit Reform UK 20 days after joining

Category: party management issue

Location: South Kesteven

Mark Whittington, a councillor in South Kesteven, quit Reform UK 20 days after joining the party and now sits as an independent. Trackers monitoring the party's councillor numbers record the departure among a wider set of short-lived affiliations. Reform UK has not published an account of the split.

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

Offord made homophobic Burns Night joke about George Michael as Reform Scotland leader

Category: offensive

Malcolm Offord, in his role as Reform UK's leader in Scotland, made a homophobic joke about the late singer George Michael during a Burns Night speech in early 2026. The joke was made in front of a public audience during one of the most high-profile events in the Scottish calendar and was aimed at a well-known gay public figure. He later described the remark as "a clumsy mistake". The incident was included in HOPE not hate's 30 April 2026 report "60 Reasons (and Counting) to Not Vote Reform on May 7th" as an example of anti-LGBT conduct by senior Reform figures, not just individual candidates. Reform retained him in his leadership role through the 7 May 2026 elections despite the party's claim its vetting was "the best in the country".

Stuart Graham left the Reform UK group in Gloucestershire

Category: party management issue

Location: Gloucestershire

Stuart Graham quit the Reform UK group on Gloucestershire County Council to sit as an independent, while remaining a member of the party. No specific reason for the split was given publicly. Reform UK has not commented in detail on the decision.

Sources: https://www.theforestreview.co.uk/news/politics/reform-uk-councillor-stuart-graham-leaves-group-to-sit-as-independent-877813

Tony Hill resigned Hertfordshire seat less than a year after narrow win

Category: party management issue

Location: Hertfordshire

Tony Hill was elected as a Reform UK councillor on Hertfordshire County Council in May 2025 after winning by 28 votes, and resigned his seat less than a year later. The departure added to a run of early exits from the party's 2025 councillor intake. Reform UK has not published an account of the resignation.

Sources: https://www.hemeltoday.co.uk/news/politics/reform-politician-elected-after-narrow-win-resigns-from-hertfordshire-county-council-5628570

Offord made homophobic Burns Night joke about George Michael as Reform Scotland leader

Category: offensive

Malcolm Offord, in his role as Reform UK's leader in Scotland, made a homophobic joke about the late singer George Michael during a Burns Night speech in early 2026. The joke was made in front of a public audience during one of the most high-profile events in the Scottish calendar and was aimed at a well-known gay public figure. He later described the remark as "a clumsy mistake". The incident was included in HOPE not hate's 30 April 2026 report "60 Reasons (and Counting) to Not Vote Reform on May 7th" as an example of anti-LGBT conduct by senior Reform figures, not just individual candidates. Reform retained him in his leadership role through the 7 May 2026 elections despite the party's claim its vetting was "the best in the country".

Catchpole hailed Enoch Powell as "one of the greatest visionaries" and praised Tommy Robinson

Category: offensive

Karl Catchpole, a Reform UK candidate, called Enoch Powell "one of the greatest visionaries of the last 50 years", praised Tommy Robinson as "a caring family man", and shared a post by former UKIP figure Carl Benjamin using dehumanising language about the Foreign Secretary David Lammy. Both Powell and Robinson are figures whose public status rests almost entirely on anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim politics. 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".

Cooper called the Holocaust a "hoax" and denied the six million death toll

Category: offensive

Jay Cooper, a Reform UK candidate, publicly described the Holocaust as a "hoax" and "propaganda", explicitly claiming there were not even six million Jewish people in Europe at the time of the Nazi genocide. Holocaust denial is one of the most well-documented forms of antisemitism and is treated as a criminal offence in a number of European jurisdictions. 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 retained him for the 7 May 2026 elections despite claiming its vetting was "the best in the country".

Chris Large resigned Staffordshire leadership roles before leaving Reform UK

Category: party management issue

Location: Staffordshire

Chris Large was due to succeed Ian Cooper as leader of Staffordshire County Council but resigned from his leadership roles, and has since left Reform UK to sit as an independent. The change followed a period of instability in the party''s group on the council. Reform UK has not published an account of the resignation.

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

Darren Rance joined Restore Britain then quit within two days

Category: party management issue

Location: North Northamptonshire

Darren Rance, elected as a Reform UK councillor in North Northamptonshire, joined Restore Britain and quit the new party within two days, announcing on social media that he wanted to rejoin Reform UK. He currently sits as an independent because Restore Britain was not yet registered with the Electoral Commission at the time. Reform UK has not confirmed whether he will be readmitted.

Sources: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0q38q7jwllo

Luke Cooper had the Reform UK whip removed over claims he was considering defecting

Category: party management issue

Location: Warwickshire

Luke Cooper, elected as a Reform UK councillor in Warwickshire in May 2025, had the party whip removed over claims that he was considering defecting. He then joined Restore Britain alongside fellow Warwickshire councillor Scott Cameron. Reform UK has not published a detailed account of the decision to withdraw the whip.

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

Crook posted "Muslims are destroying Europe" and welcomed release of Patriotic Alternative activist

Category: offensive

Janine Crook, a Reform UK candidate in Blackburn, wrote that "Muslims are destroying Europe", described Enoch Powell as "prophetic", welcomed the release of Patriotic Alternative activist Sam Melia, and used strongly derogatory language about the town of Blackburn itself. Patriotic Alternative is a far-right activist group whose members have repeatedly been prosecuted for hate offences. 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 her for the 7 May 2026 elections despite claiming its vetting was "the best in the country".

Scott Cameron had the Reform UK whip removed over claims he was considering defecting

Category: party management issue

Location: Warwickshire

Scott Cameron, elected as a Reform UK councillor in Warwickshire in May 2025, had the party whip removed over claims that he was considering defecting. He then joined Restore Britain alongside fellow Warwickshire councillor Luke Cooper. Reform UK has not published a detailed account of the decision.

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

Pochin branded Parliamentary Standards Commissioner a 'kangaroo court'

Category: scandal

Sarah Pochin, Reform UK MP for Runcorn and Helsby, described the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards as a "kangaroo court" while her party leader Nigel Farage was under active investigation over allegedly undeclared gifts and hospitality. The remarks, made in July 2026, targeted the independent statutory body that enforces the Code of Conduct and the Register of Members' Financial Interests. The comments drew immediate criticism because the Commissioner's office is the very mechanism through which MPs are held to account for their financial declarations. It is not the first time senior Reform UK figures have publicly disparaged parliamentary standards processes when their own members are under scrutiny, and the attack was widely read as an attempt to delegitimise the regulator mid-inquiry.

Candidate quit party after external candidate parachuted into top position

Category: party management issue

Andrew Barry, a Reform UK candidate for the Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr area in the 2026 Senedd elections, pulled out and quit the party around 25 March 2026. Local members had been promised a final say on candidate selection, but an external candidate was parachuted into the number one position. Barry said the experience "broke his belief in politics."

Farage under Parliamentary Commissioner investigation over undeclared gifts

Category: scandal

Nigel Farage, Reform UK leader and MP for Clacton, is being formally investigated by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards over his failure to properly register gifts, hospitality and outside benefits in the Register of Members' Financial Interests. The inquiry, opened in July 2026, focuses on whether items including hospitality, travel and other benefits were declared within the 28-day window required under House of Commons rules. The investigation is the latest in a long-running pattern of compliance questions around Mr Farage's declarations, and comes as the Reform UK parliamentary group faces wider scrutiny of its handling of donations and outside earnings since taking its seats in 2024. Fellow Reform MP Sarah Pochin publicly attacked the Commissioner's process as a "kangaroo court" while the inquiry was under way.

Muscroft described Islam as a "Cancer" that must be removed

Category: offensive

Brett Muscroft, Reform UK's candidate for Castleford Central and Glasshoughton, publicly described Islam as a "Cancer" that must be removed, and expressed support for Enoch Powell and Tommy Robinson. The posts described an entire religion in disease terms and endorsed two figures long associated with anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim politics. The comments were included in HOPE not hate's 30 April 2026 audit of Reform's May 2026 candidate slate, which grouped Mr Muscroft with a cluster of Wakefield and Yorkshire candidates whose public output contained anti-Muslim rhetoric and praise for far-right activists, a pattern the report argued Reform's vetting had failed to catch.

Rowe urged Southport rioters attacking a mosque to "get rid of that filthy building"

Category: offensive

Ben Rowe, Reform UK's candidate for Ham ward on Plymouth City Council, urged protesters throwing bricks at police defending a mosque during the 2024 Southport riots to "get rid of that filthy building". Separately, he wrote that Jewish people were "creating division by forcing other races on our societies" and described immigrants to the UK as "breeding like rats". The remarks, combining incitement against a place of worship during a live public-order emergency, antisemitism and dehumanising language about migrants, were surfaced in HOPE not hate's April 2026 investigation into Reform's candidates ahead of the 7 May 2026 elections. The report used his case to illustrate that Reform had continued to select candidates whose posts had been publicly visible for months.

Tabor urged military to attack migrant boats and "cover it up"

Category: offensive

Arnold Tabor, a Reform UK candidate in Wakefield, publicly urged the military to attack migrant boats at sea and "cover it up", writing that the UK needs to "sink the boats and show we are heartless". In separate posts he proposed placing refugees in a "huge walled workhouse city" with "no pay only a roof over their head and two meals a day", conditions the report likened to slavery. The comments, surfaced in HOPE not hate's April 2026 audit of Reform's candidate list, advocated extrajudicial killing and forced labour but did not lead to his removal from the party's ticket for the 7 May 2026 elections. Reform had publicly promised its vetting was "the best in the country".

Resigned from Reform UK group, later defected to the Conservatives

Category: scandal

Cllr Rob Parsonage was among the five Reform UK councillors who quit the party's Cornwall Council group in October 2025 over reported interference from the national party. He went on to co-found the Cornish Independent Non-Aligned Group before ultimately defecting to the Conservatives. His trajectory, from Reform councillor, to Independent, to Conservative, became emblematic of the wider disintegration of Reform's Cornwall project. The October 2025 walk-out, in which he took part alongside Rowland O'Connor, Christine Parsonage, Karen Knight and Anna Thomason-Kenyon, marked the start of a run of Reform departures that has since left the group down to 21 councillors and Cornwall Council split across 11 political groups.

Left Reform UK group on Cornwall Council

Category: scandal

This councillor was among five Reform UK councillors who quit the party's Cornwall Council group in October 2025, publicly citing interference from the national party in the running of the local group. The mass departure came just five months after Reform had swept in as the largest single group on Cornwall Council with 28 seats. The five who walked out, Anna Thomason-Kenyon, Karen Knight, Rob Parsonage, Rowland O'Connor and Christine Parsonage, went on to co-found the Cornish Independent Non-Aligned Group. Their exit began a sustained series of defections that has since taken Reform's Cornwall group down to 21 councillors and left Cornwall Council fragmented across 11 separate political groups.

Reform MS suspended after use of racial slur, denies being racist

Category: racism

Laura Anne Jones, a Reform MS for South East Wales, was suspended from the Senedd for two weeks in December 2025 after the standards commissioner found she had broken the code of conduct following her use of a racial slur about Chinese people in a WhatsApp chat in August 2023. Jones denied that she is racist, saying she was "genuinely sorry" for using the word, that it "was a term used for a takeaway" during her youth, and that she has since undertaken language training. Her pay was docked and she was not permitted to take part in Senedd proceedings during the suspension. The standards commissioner cleared her of making fraudulent expenses claims. Members of the Chinese community said the term had caused "a lot of hurt" and a community group described the language as carrying "deeply hurtful and racist connotations" and being "deeply disappointing to hear such language from an elected representative".

Mahon praised British Union of Fascists founder Oswald Mosley

Category: offensive

Andrew Mahon, a Reform UK candidate in Blackburn, publicly praised Oswald Mosley, the founder and leader of the British Union of Fascists from 1932 to 1940. On Facebook, Mr Mahon wrote that Mosley "was right", adding that "we need an educational correction" and that "multiculturalism has failed". The endorsement of a British fascist leader, surfaced in HOPE not hate's April 2026 investigation into Reform's candidate slate, did not lead to his removal ahead of the 7 May 2026 elections. The report placed the posts alongside a wider Blackburn cluster of Reform candidates whose social media contained sympathetic references to figures on the far right.

Praise for Adolf Hitler in social media posts

Category: offensive

Aaron Lee Taylor, a Reform UK activist who campaigned for the party in Essex, was found to have praised Adolf Hitler and repeatedly posted "HEIL HITLER" on social media. Despite these explicit endorsements of Nazi Germany, he was invited to volunteer at Reform UK's head office, met Nigel Farage on two separate occasions, and for a period served as Reform's treasurer for Harwich and North Essex before ceasing to be a party member. The disclosure formed part of HOPE not hate's April 2026 investigation into Reform's candidate and volunteer vetting ahead of the 7 May 2026 elections. It illustrated a pattern the report identified across the party: individuals with openly extreme views progressing through Reform's structures despite public statements that should have been surfaced by even basic due diligence.

Resigned from Reform UK group, later defected to the Conservatives

Category: scandal

Cllr Rob Parsonage was among the five Reform UK councillors who quit the party's Cornwall Council group in October 2025 over reported interference from the national party. He went on to co-found the Cornish Independent Non-Aligned Group before ultimately defecting to the Conservatives. His trajectory, from Reform councillor, to Independent, to Conservative, became emblematic of the wider disintegration of Reform's Cornwall project. The October 2025 walk-out, in which he took part alongside Rowland O'Connor, Christine Parsonage, Karen Knight and Anna Thomason-Kenyon, marked the start of a run of Reform departures that has since left the group down to 21 councillors and Cornwall Council split across 11 political groups.

Racist and bigoted social media posts targeting Romanians, Black people, Muslims and women

Category: offensive

HOPE not hate reported in April 2026 that David Davies, a Reform UK candidate standing in Redbridge in the May 2026 London borough elections, had a long record of racist and bigoted social media posts. These included statements that he would "like to see every Romanian in this country gone", along with hostile posts about Black people, Muslims, women and people on low incomes. The material was published as part of HOPE not hate's wider reporting on Reform UK candidate vetting failures in the run up to the 7 May 2026 elections.

Called for Keir Starmer and David Lammy to be shot, and for asylum seekers to be drowned

Category: offensive

HOPE not hate reported in April 2026 that Linda McFarlane, Reform UK candidate for the Chopwell and Rowlands Gill ward on Gateshead Council, had made a series of violent and racist social media posts. These included calls for Keir Starmer and David Lammy to be shot, remarks that asylum seekers should be drowned, and posts advocating a return to a "white Britain". Chronicle Live and The Northern Echo followed up on 24 April 2026, with Reform UK saying it was "thoroughly looking into" the concerns raised about her Facebook activity ahead of the 7 May 2026 local elections.

Resigned from Reform UK to co-found Cornish Independent Non-Aligned Group

Category: scandal

Cllr Rowland O'Connor was one of five Reform UK councillors who resigned from the party's Cornwall Council group in October 2025, citing interference from the national party in the running of the local group. He then co-founded the Cornish Independent Non-Aligned Group, providing a landing spot for other Reform defectors on the council. The October 2025 departure of Mr O'Connor, alongside Rob Parsonage, Christine Parsonage, Karen Knight and Anna Thomason-Kenyon, was the opening move in a rolling series of Reform Cornwall departures that has since taken the group down to 21 councillors and left Cornwall Council with 11 separate political groups.

Resigned from Reform UK to co-found Cornish Independent Non-Aligned Group

Category: scandal

Cllr Rowland O'Connor was one of five Reform UK councillors who resigned from the party's Cornwall Council group in October 2025, citing interference from the national party in the running of the local group. He then co-founded the Cornish Independent Non-Aligned Group, providing a landing spot for other Reform defectors on the council. The October 2025 departure of Mr O'Connor, alongside Rob Parsonage, Christine Parsonage, Karen Knight and Anna Thomason-Kenyon, was the opening move in a rolling series of Reform Cornwall departures that has since taken the group down to 21 councillors and left Cornwall Council with 11 separate political groups.

Left Reform UK in October 2025, later resigned from Cornwall Council

Category: scandal

Cllr Christine Parsonage was one of five Reform UK councillors who quit the party's Cornwall Council group in October 2025, citing interference from Reform's national party. She subsequently helped form the Cornish Independent Non-Aligned Group before ultimately resigning from Cornwall Council itself. Her departure, alongside Rob Parsonage, Rowland O'Connor, Karen Knight and Anna Thomason-Kenyon, triggered a sustained collapse of Reform's Cornwall bloc, which has since lost around a quarter of the 28 councillors elected in May 2025. Cornwall Council now contains 11 separate political groups.

Left Reform UK group on Cornwall Council

Category: scandal

This councillor was among five Reform UK councillors who quit the party's Cornwall Council group in October 2025, publicly citing interference from the national party in the running of the local group. The mass departure came just five months after Reform had swept in as the largest single group on Cornwall Council with 28 seats. The five who walked out, Anna Thomason-Kenyon, Karen Knight, Rob Parsonage, Rowland O'Connor and Christine Parsonage, went on to co-found the Cornish Independent Non-Aligned Group. Their exit began a sustained series of defections that has since taken Reform's Cornwall group down to 21 councillors and left Cornwall Council fragmented across 11 separate political groups.

Tarrant, Reform's Cornwall deputy leader, defected to Restore Britain

Category: scandal

Cllr Roger Tarrant, deputy leader of the Reform UK group on Cornwall Council, announced in April 2026 that he was leaving Reform to become the council's first councillor aligned with Rupert Lowe's Restore Britain movement. The defection of a serving deputy group leader was the highest-profile Cornwall departure to date and prompted the resignation of a further Reform councillor, Susanne Desmonde, the very next day. Mr Tarrant's move sits inside a broader pattern of Reform councillors migrating either to Restore Britain or to independent status, and followed the October 2025 exodus of five Cornwall Reform councillors who cited national-party interference. Reform's Cornwall group had lost around a quarter of its elected members by the time of the announcement.

Desmonde resigned from Reform UK a day after deputy group leader's defection

Category: scandal

Cllr Susanne Desmonde, who represents Pool and Tehidy on Cornwall Council, resigned from Reform UK in April 2026 to sit as an Independent Non-Aligned councillor. Her departure came one day after the group's deputy leader Cllr Roger Tarrant announced he was leaving to become Cornwall Council's first Restore Britain-aligned member. The back-to-back resignations of the deputy leader and a serving councillor accelerated the disintegration of Reform's Cornwall group, which had already lost five members in October 2025 over reported interference from the national party. Reform's Cornwall group has now lost roughly a quarter of the 28 councillors elected in May 2025, contributing to the fragmentation that has left Cornwall Council with 11 separate political groups.

Left Reform UK to sit as Stand Alone Independent on Cornwall Council

Category: scandal

Cllr Jamie Hanlon, elected in May 2025 for the Penwithick and Boscoppa division in the St Austell area, resigned from Reform UK in May 2026 to sit on Cornwall Council as a Stand Alone Independent. His departure took the Reform UK group at County Hall from the 28 councillors elected just over a year earlier down to 21, a loss of a quarter of its elected members. The resignation forms part of a rolling series of Reform departures on Cornwall Council. It followed the April 2026 resignations of Cllr Susanne Desmonde and deputy group leader Cllr Roger Tarrant, and the October 2025 walk-out of five Reform councillors, Rob Parsonage, Rowland O'Connor, Christine Parsonage, Karen Knight and Anna Thomason-Kenyon, who cited interference from the national party. Cornwall Council now has 11 separate political groups.

Lowe suspended from Reform UK and launched rival Restore Britain party

Category: scandal

Rupert Lowe, the former Reform UK MP for Great Yarmouth, was suspended by Reform in 2025 and in February 2026 launched a rival vehicle, Restore Britain, positioned to the right of Reform. Restore Britain has openly courted the extreme right, claims a membership nine times the size of the BNP at its peak, and Mr Lowe has publicly stated he intends the party to win the next general election. For the May 2026 local elections Restore Britain fielded only ten official candidates, an all-male roster concentrated in Norfolk standing under the "Great Yarmouth First" banner, while a further wave of Restore-linked activists ran as independents in Sheffield, the Isle of Wight and Newham. Well-known fascists were reported canvassing for the party in Great Yarmouth, prompting Restore Britain to issue clarifications distancing itself from anyone campaigning under its name outside that constituency.

O'Brien suggested benefit claimants needed "putting down"

Category: offensive

Francesca O'Brien, a Reform UK candidate, was reported to have suggested that people on benefits needed "putting down", using language associated with the killing of animals to describe welfare claimants. The remark treated the recipients of state support as sub-human and was published in a public setting rather than a private exchange. The comment was surfaced in HOPE not hate's 30 April 2026 report "60 Reasons (and Counting) to Not Vote Reform on May 7th". Reform UK retained her as a candidate for the 7 May 2026 elections despite the party's public claim that its vetting was "the best in the country".

O'Brien suggested benefit claimants needed "putting down"

Category: offensive

Francesca O'Brien, a Reform UK candidate, was reported to have suggested that people on benefits needed "putting down", using language associated with the killing of animals to describe welfare claimants. The remark treated the recipients of state support as sub-human and was published in a public setting rather than a private exchange. The comment was surfaced in HOPE not hate's 30 April 2026 report "60 Reasons (and Counting) to Not Vote Reform on May 7th". Reform UK retained her as a candidate for the 7 May 2026 elections despite the party's public claim that its vetting was "the best in the country".

Devaney said he wanted to "blast [Muslims] all off the face of the earth"

Category: offensive

Daniel Devaney, a Reform UK candidate in Bradford, wrote in September 2024 that he wanted to "blast [Muslims] all off the face of the earth" and described Muslims as "pure scum", adding: "We're being invaded by potential terrorists day in day out." The posts openly called for the mass killing of adherents of an entire religion. The remarks were surfaced in HOPE not hate's April 2026 audit of Reform's May 2026 candidate slate. Mark Pack's post-election tracker records that Mr Devaney was subsequently confirmed as no longer a Reform representative, but he had remained on the ticket throughout the campaign despite the posts being publicly available on Facebook.

Ashman used antisemitic slur and enquired about joining neo-Nazi Homeland Party

Category: offensive

Caley Ashman, Reform UK's candidate in Cradley North & Wollescote, used the antisemitic slur "goyslop" on social media, a term derived from the theory that Jewish people use mass media to manipulate non-Jews, and enquired online about joining the neo-Nazi Homeland Party. He also shared a homophobic post about the writer Douglas Murray describing him in explicitly degrading sexual terms. The combination of antisemitic language, active interest in a neo-Nazi organisation and homophobic content was surfaced in HOPE not hate's April 2026 investigation ahead of the 7 May 2026 elections. Reform kept him on the ballot despite Zia Yusuf's public claim that the party had "the best vetting in the country".

Harrison's company fined £40,000 by Home Office for hiring worker without right to work

Category: scandal

Michael Andrew Harrison, a Reform UK councillor in County Durham, has been directly implicated in an illegal-working case after Home Office enforcement action found his company, Churchills Management Limited, had employed a worker without the right to work in the UK. The firm was issued a £40,000 civil penalty, reported in December 2025. The fine sits in direct contradiction to Reform UK's flagship stance on immigration enforcement and to Mr Harrison's own public campaigning against illegal working. Coverage of the case questioned the party's vetting of candidates with active business interests in sectors routinely exposed to right-to-work checks, and highlighted the gap between the party's rhetoric and the conduct of its own elected representatives.

Monk tabled proposals to restrict opposition scrutiny of Reform administration

Category: scandal

Jo Monk, Reform UK leader of Worcestershire County Council, was accused of an "authoritarian" attempt to silence dissent after tabling proposals in December 2025 that would have restricted opposition members' ability to raise questions and motions at full council. The changes, brought forward under her leadership following Reform's May 2025 gains, drew condemnation from Liberal Democrat, Labour and Green councillors as an attempt to shut down scrutiny of the Reform administration. Council officers were also reported to have raised concerns about the group's handling of standing orders and committee procedure. The move formed part of a wider pattern identified by the Guardian in its series on Reform UK-led councils since May 2025, examining how the party has used procedural mechanisms to constrain opposition after taking control of authorities.

Left Reform UK in October 2025, later resigned from Cornwall Council

Category: scandal

Cllr Christine Parsonage was one of five Reform UK councillors who quit the party's Cornwall Council group in October 2025, citing interference from Reform's national party. She subsequently helped form the Cornish Independent Non-Aligned Group before ultimately resigning from Cornwall Council itself. Her departure, alongside Rob Parsonage, Rowland O'Connor, Karen Knight and Anna Thomason-Kenyon, triggered a sustained collapse of Reform's Cornwall bloc, which has since lost around a quarter of the 28 councillors elected in May 2025. Cornwall Council now contains 11 separate political groups.

Questions over deputy leader’s company using REIT to reduce corporation tax

Category: financial conduct concern

It was reported that Quidnet Reit Ltd, a property company associated with Richard Tice, operated as a real estate investment trust between 2018 and 2021 and paid little or no corporation tax on multimillion-pound property profits for much of that period. Company accounts were said to show net assets of about £33 million, ownership of multiple industrial estates and recorded profits of around £8.1 million, with analysts calculating roughly £3.05 million of those profits would have been liable to corporation tax at 19% absent the REIT exemption, equating to about £580,000 in tax not paid by the company. It was also reported that Tice retained over 90% control through connected entities, listed the company on the Guernsey exchange to qualify for REIT status, and revoked that status in August 2021 after a three-year grace period. He has defended the arrangements as fully lawful and said efforts were made to attract external investors, while tax experts characterised the structure as potentially "highly aggressive tax planning" and suggested HMRC anti-abuse rules might apply.

Stone appeared to endorse Andrew Tate's victim-blaming on sexual assault

Category: offensive

Alan Stone, selected as a Reform UK candidate in Basingstoke, drew widespread condemnation in 2025 after a tweet in which he appeared to concur with Andrew Tate's assertion that women bear responsibility if they are sexually assaulted. Mr Stone wrote that "if I left my valuables on show in my car, I wouldn't be surprised if it enticed someone to break in", using a burglary analogy to describe sexual assault. The post prompted fury at the time but did not prevent his selection as a Reform candidate for the 7 May 2026 elections. HOPE not hate's April 2026 report cited it as one of the clearest examples of the party continuing to stand candidates whose public statements had already generated significant controversy, despite Reform's claim its vetting was "the best in the country".