Islamophobia, racist threats, Holocaust denial: Comments by newly-elected Reform councillors

Islamophobia, racist threats, Holocaust denial: Comments by newly-elected Reform councillors Submitted by Hannah. Smith on Mon, 05/11/2026 - 16:23 Reform UK faces online backlash over alleged racist comments made by newly-elected councillors, as some step down Reform UK leader Nigel Farage speaks outside the Havering Town Hall the day after the local elections, on 8 May 2026 (Toby Shepheard/AFP). Off The local elections held across England, Scotland and Wales on 7 May symbolised a dramatic shift in the traditional two-party system of British politics, with Keir Starmer’s Labour suffering large losses and Nigel Farage's Reform UK winning over 1,300 council seats and 13 councils. Media coverage of the election results highlighted Reform's gains in councils across the country. They received the biggest jump in vote share of any party, although their overall share was less than it was in 2025, according to national projections published by Sky News . With Reform under the spotlight, several alleged cases of racist comments made by newly elected councillors have come under scrutiny, with backlash circulating on social media. Middle East Eye takes a look at some of these alleged comments. 1. 'Melt them all down and fill in the pot holes' Glenn Gibbins recently attracted attention after the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg interviewed Reform's deputy leader, Richard Tice, asking him about alleged comments made by the newly elected councillor on Facebook. A Reform councillor for Hylton Castle in Sunderland, Gibbons allegedly wrote a post on Facebook in 2024 that read: "Carnt [sic] believe amount of nigerians in town.....should melt them all down and fill in the pot holes!!".  ...

Original source: Middle East Eye