A councillor for Nigel Farage's Reform UK has been suspended from the party following his participation in a WhatsApp group where members allegedly advocated for a 'mass Islam genocide'.
Councillor's Controversial Messages
Tom Pickup, who was elected to Lancashire County Council in May and served as lead member for resources and finance, confirmed to the Guardian that he was a member of the group established by a right-wing activist.
In message exchanges seen by the Guardian, one participant stated that Labour leader Keir Starmer 'needs a fucking bullet', to which another replied calling him a 'DICKtator'. Pickup responded to this exchange by referring to the Prime Minister as a 'dicktaker'.
Further messages showed Pickup describing a government minister as a 'Ukrainian boy penetrator' and expressing agreement with 'mass deportations'. Perhaps most significantly, the councillor wrote: 'Everyone in Reform is a lot more hardline on immigration than is typically stated publicly, to get a majority government we have to be tactical.'
Investigation and Response
Reform UK confirmed to the Guardian on Wednesday that Pickup had been suspended pending an investigation into the matter.
When confronted about his involvement, Pickup admitted membership in the group but claimed his messages had been 'twisted out of context'. He stated he was unaware of the more extreme posts, including one that allegedly called for a 'mass Islam genocide' and encouraged members to stockpile weapons to attack 'lefties' and 'migrants'.
The councillor described his 'dicktaker' comment about Starmer as a 'jokey comment' that represented 'poor judgment'. He told the Guardian: '99% of what occurs in groups, I don't see. Based on my involvement in it and what I have seen, I've been my usual jokey self and it's been twisted out of context.'
Pickup said he left the group this week when screenshots of his messages began circulating on social media. He explained that he couldn't verify the most extreme alleged messages because WhatsApp automatically deletes messages after 24 hours.
Political Fallout and Calls for Resignation
When specifically asked if he supported calls for a 'mass Islam genocide', Pickup responded: 'Of course not'. He added: 'I've done a lot of community engagement work with the Islamic community. It's something that I would have condemned and probably reported but I don't know if they [the messages] are genuine. I've not seen them.'
The controversy has prompted strong reactions from political colleagues. Samara Barnes, a Labour councillor on Lancashire County Council, has called for Pickup to resign as a councillor and confirmed she has reported him to the authority's standards watchdog.
Barnes stated: 'We are at a time when we're living in a tinderbox and if people are suggesting we should be having an Islam genocide, this is domestic terrorism.' She emphasised the seriousness of the situation, adding: 'This is beyond an apology or some training. This is more serious and Reform UK need to really take a stand.'
A spokesperson for Lancashire County Council confirmed: 'We are aware that county councillor Tom Pickup has been suspended from Reform UK pending investigation. Cllr Pickup remains a councillor, sitting as an independent.'
