Full Breakdown
Reform UK Faces Scrutiny After Election of Candidates with Extremist Views
5/8/2026, 8:55:48 PM
Election Upset in Essex: Reform UK Ends 25-Year Tory Control
Reform UK ended the Conservative Party’s 25-year control of Essex County Council in the 2024 elections, with Stuart Prior winning a county-council seat in Rayleigh West (2,404 votes) and a district-council seat in Sweyne Park and Grange ward (911 votes).
Candidate Spotlight: Stuart Prior’s Controversial Online History
Stuart Prior, a 54-year-old, posted on X praising Punjabi and Sikh women who were raped and, in December 2023, posted a tweet asserting the “master race” could act as it wished. He later reposted a message praising attack and denied being racist. In Blackburn, Lancashire, Reform UK candidate Andrew Mahon was elected borough councillor. Mahon’s statements praising Oswald Mosley and Enoch Powell include the declarations “Oswald was right 100%… we need an educational correction in the U.K.” and “Enoch Powell was 100% correct, the only things that he did not know about or could foresee is Muslim terrorists blowing up Arenas in the U.K.”
Party Response and Criticism
Reform UK said it is investigating the posts linked to Prior and Mahon but has not announced disciplinary outcome. Labour MPs—Sarah Coombes, Antonia Bance, Gurinder Singh Josan and Alex Ballinger—sent a letter to Reform leader Nigel Farage urging action. Hope Not Hate director Georgie Laming called Prior’s language among the most horrifically racist Reform candidates and urged his expulsion. A Labour MP asked Farage whether he would suspend Prior. MP Zarah Sultana said attacks illustrate racism and misogyny are fueled by fascism and hate.
Data, Statistics and Gaps
Prior’s X account was reportedly deleted in early 2024, limiting verification, and Reform has not released its investigation outcome or confirmed any suspension; the total number of Reform-won seats nationwide is not specified.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Will you immediately suspend him from your party” — Labour MP (unnamed)
- “Among all the Reform UK candidates we have exposed, Stuart Prior’s language was some of the most horrifically racist. He should have been swiftly expelled from the party.” — Georgie Laming, Director of Campaigns, Hope Not Hate
- “As the master race, they can do as they please.” — Stuart Prior, tweet
- “These horrifying attacks show how racism and misogyny feed each other – fuelled by the rise of fascism and hate.” — Zarah Sultana, MP for Your Party
What’s Next
Nigel Farage faces pressure from Labour MPs and anti-racism advocates to act on the investigations, and the party’s decision on whether to suspend or expel the candidates will affect its image ahead of elections.
