A Reform UK councillor who won a recent election is facing suspension due to allegations of racial and sexist comments posted on his social media accounts.
Glenn Gibbins, a councillor elected in Thursday’s polls to serve as the representative of Hylton Castle Ward on Sunderland City Council, faces claims that he made racist comments about Sunderland’s Nigerian community via social media postings from around March 2024 that have since been removed.
This controversy comes less than a week after the success of Reform UK in the local council elections when it won control of Sunderland City Council. The councillor whose last name has also been shown as “Gibbons” in various election propaganda is also accused of misogynist statements made previously through social media accounts.
In a conversation with BBC’s Politics North, Darren Grimes stated that Gibbins was suspended for undergoing a thorough investigation into the accusations against him.
“[Gibbins] has been suspended and the party is currently investigating those very serious allegations, which we will act on,” he said. He further acknowledged that the circumstances demonstrated “a failure of the vetting process.”
The accusations against Reform have been raised by Hope Not Hate, an organization advocating against extremism.
Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice attempted to defend his party in a conversation with Laura Kuenssberg on Sunday, stating that while the party rejects any kind of behavior, its critics seek to tarnish Reform after its recent electoral success.
The event has attracted condemnation from competing politicians. Bridget Phillipson has characterized the situation as one that represents the “racism and division” that she thinks Reform introduces into politics.
James Cleverly, a Conservative politician, too condemned Tice for failing to unequivocally denounce racism against Nigerians in addition to antisemitism.
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