Reform UK Campaigner Posted Hitler Tributes and Holocaust Denial Online
A Reform UK local elections campaigner, whose Essex tanning salon was visited by party leader Nigel Farage, has been exposed for posting online tributes to Adolf Hitler and denying the Holocaust. Aaron Taylor, 33, who served as a branch treasurer and was planning to be a candidate, shared extreme content praising the Nazi dictator, including writing "heil Hitler" and claiming the Holocaust was "the greatest deception of all time."
Confrontation at Salon in Farage's Constituency
The posts were uncovered by the anti-racism campaign group HOPE Not Hate, which confronted Taylor at his Sun Spa salon in Jaywick, within Farage's Clacton constituency. Taylor, who described Farage as "the big boss," apologised, stating he had been "removed" from the party and did not remember posting the comments, suggesting he might have been drinking. "I genuinely apologise," he said. "I got pulled up on it. I don't remember posting these things... it's likely I've had a beer, said stupid things."
Shocking Social Media Activity Uncovered
Taylor's now-deleted tweets from late October included a response to a user complaining about "anti Jews and anti Israel" content, where he wrote: "The greatest deception of all time is that the nazis we're [sic] evil and the holocaust was real... it would seem." In other posts, he referred to Hitler as "the Austrian painter" and shared a white pride video featuring Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels, reposting a message saying: "You're blessed to be white. Be proud of it."
Additional offensive tweets included:
- "HEIL HITLER" in response to a suggestion about dressing in Nazi costumes for Halloween.
- "If it's black send it back If it's brown shoot it down If it's white it's perfectly alright (to stay in the UK)."
- "Listen to the translations of Adolf Hitler and compare to the world we live in now currently. The winners of the war lied about how evil Hitler was it would seem.. interesting."
Party Connections and Campaigning Role
Despite his extreme views, Taylor was an active campaigner for Reform UK, billing himself as a "proud" member and volunteer. He posted images in January showing Farage visiting his salon and, as recently as March, shared a picture smiling with Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick, who defected from the Conservatives. Taylor also served as treasurer for the Harwich and north Essex Reform UK branch and directed Sun Spa 11 Ltd, which offered tanning deals.
In a video pinned to his social media profile, Taylor stood outside Parliament, boasting about volunteering at the party's headquarters and urging support for the local elections on May 7th. "I can't wait for the local elections on May 7th," he said. "Let's get on it."
Reform UK's Response and Vetting Failure
Reform UK stated that Taylor is not a member and was rejected as a candidate. A party source revealed he applied to be a candidate but failed vetting, serving as an interim branch treasurer for only six weeks. Taylor claimed he cancelled his membership and was not expelled, confirming he stopped his treasurer role about a month ago after the party "disagreed with something I said... a year before I was a member."
Broader Concerns About Extremism in Politics
Joe Mulhall, director of research at HOPE Not Hate, expressed shock at the findings, noting: "We have become used to finding extreme and unacceptable Reform activists. But to see such open support for Hitler and brazen Holocaust denial from a Reform campaigner is still shocking. The party has no option but to expel people like Taylor, but the question remains why someone so extreme feels that Reform is the party for them?"
This revelation comes as Reform UK has been gaining traction in polls, with Farage positioning the May 7th local elections as a referendum on Prime Minister Keir Starmer's popularity. The incident raises serious questions about the party's vetting processes and the appeal of its platform to individuals with extremist ideologies.
