Councillor Under Fire for Social Media Posts
A Reform UK councillor in Staffordshire has issued a public apology for a series of historic tweets described as 'disgusting'. Peter Mason, who represents Burton South and serves as cabinet member for strategic highways on Staffordshire County Council, expressed regret over his 'choice of words' in posts about black women and the police.
Content of Controversial Tweets Revealed
The tweets, which originated from 2023 and early 2024, were brought to public attention by the 'Reform Party UK Exposed' account on X, formerly Twitter. In one post from March 2024, Cllr Mason wrote: "What a surprise a statue of a fat arsed black woman." Another message from April 2024 stated: "Utter rubbish the police now are a bunch of politically indoctrinated British hating scum." The councillor also criticised police for taking 'the knee to BLM, painting rainbows and dancing around like fairies'. The account highlighting the posts described them as 'pretty disgusting' and drew attention to additional 'graphic and insulting' tweets about trans people.
Apology and Explanation Offered
Cllr Mason, who has since deleted his X account, emphasised that the controversial posts were made before he joined Reform UK and became a councillor in May 2025. In his apology statement, he explained: "These tweets were made in 2023 and early 2024 when I was not a member of any political party or elected as a councillor and during a difficult time personally, affected by grief and redundancy." He added: "I do regret and apologise for my choice of words. I do hold traditional views but have never cared as to someone's race, colour, religion or orientation. My strongest held belief of all is one of meritocracy and all being equal of opportunity." The councillor concluded that joining Reform and becoming a councillor had helped him recover from a 'negative frame of mind'. Reform UK has been approached for comment regarding the situation.
