A newly elected Reform UK councillor has resigned days after taking office, following allegations of racist, antisemitic and anti-Muslim comments on social media. Stuart Prior was elected to Essex County Council last Thursday with 2,404 votes, the highest in his ward, and also won a seat on Rochford District Council.
A Reform UK spokesperson confirmed Prior had resigned for personal reasons and his party membership had been revoked. The allegations include posts in which he allegedly described white people as the “master race”, called Muslims “rats” and celebrated the rape of a Sikh woman in the Midlands. Prior reportedly told the Mirror: “That’s not what I would have put down” and “this isn’t me” when confronted with the messages.
Prior’s resignation comes amid wider scrutiny of newly elected Reform councillors. The anti-extremism group Hope Not Hate compiled a dossier highlighting several candidates accused of making racist or antisemitic remarks. Among them is Derek Bullock, elected in Bolton, who allegedly used a racial slur and called for Muslims to join Islamic State to “re-balance England’s population”. Bullock has denied the allegations, and Reform said he had reported the matter to police.
Another Reform councillor, Jay Leslie Cooper, elected in Sefton, allegedly described the Holocaust as a “hoax” on Facebook. A Reform spokesperson said Cooper had resigned the party whip and his membership had been revoked. In Sheffield, Nathaniel Menday allegedly described himself as an ethno-nationalist and praised Nazi-era architecture, calling builders “real visionaries”. Reform has not commented on all cases.
The Muslim Council of Britain has warned that such rhetoric risks normalising racism and dehumanising language about Muslims, Jews and immigrants in British politics. The controversy has also involved newly elected Green councillors accused of antisemitic comments.
