Local councillors from the Reform party have faced accusations of racism and calls to resign within hours of being elected. Daniel Devaney topped the poll in his Bradford ward despite a Facebook post in which he described Muslims as 'pure scum'. He later apologised, saying he was in a bad mood and 'let off steam'. He claimed he had offered to step down from the elections.
Stuart Prior, who allegedly called white people 'the master race' in online posts, won county and district council seats in Essex. The posts were revealed in a joint investigation by the Mirror and anti-racism group HOPE not hate. Reform said it was 'looking into' Prior's posts. Georgie Laming of HOPE not hate said Prior's language was 'some of the most horrifically racist' and that he should have been swiftly expelled from the party.
Another candidate, Jay Leslie Cooper, who allegedly described the Holocaust as a 'hoax' and 'propaganda', won a council seat in Merseyside. Reform told the Liverpool Echo that Cooper was 'under investigation' but he ran and was elected. Glenn Gibbins, elected to Sunderland City Council, has been suspended pending an investigation into alleged posts against Sunderland's Nigerian community.
Reform Durham County Council deputy leader Darren Grimes admitted it had been 'a failure of the vetting process'. Deputy leader Richard Tice condemned the posts but said voters had heard 'all of this smearing and sneering' and voted for Reform because they want action. David Laing, also elected in Sunderland, told the Mirror he 'could not remember' standing twice for the British National Party in 2006 and 2007.
