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Reform UK Wins Essex Majority, Councillor Resigns Over Racist Posts

5/12/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Reform UK won an Essex County Council majority with 53 seats, but a newly elected councillor resigned after a newspaper revealed racist posts.
Stuart Prior resigned his council seats, prompting Reform UK to revoke his party membership.
Essex County Council will hold by-elections to fill the vacant seats.
Hope Not Hate director Joe Mulhall said the case shows systematic vetting failures, while Prior denied authoring the offensive tweets.

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Story summary

Reform UK won an Essex County Council majority with 53 seats, but a newly elected councillor resigned after a newspaper revealed racist posts.
Stuart Prior resigned his council seats, prompting Reform UK to revoke his party membership.
Essex County Council will hold by-elections to fill the vacant seats.
Hope Not Hate director Joe Mulhall said the case shows systematic vetting failures, while Prior denied authoring the offensive tweets.