A Reform UK councillor has been suspended from his party following the emergence of alleged WhatsApp messages in which he appeared to suggest the party was concealing its true "hardline" stance on immigration.
Suspension and Alleged Messages
County Councillor Tom Pickup, who represents Lancashire County Council, was suspended after messages purportedly sent by him were published by the X account Reform Party UK Exposed.
According to screenshots of the conversation, an individual identified only as "Tom" appears to be responding to another participant who claimed a "majority of Brits want mass deportations and re migration".
The response attributed to Councillor Pickup states: "I agree, I think a clear and detailed policy on immigration will be rolled out quite soon, but until now as the party have been growing it's been good to use tact to get us there, previous hardline parties have all failed by not doing this approach."
Reaction and Wider Context
In another message cited by the Mirror, the same individual states: "I'm a Reform councillor, everyone in Reform is a lot more hardline on immigration than is typically stated publicly, to get a majority government we have to be tactical."
A spokesperson for Lancashire's Labour Party described the remarks as "nothing short of despicable" and called for Reform UK to apologise to the people of Lancashire for what they characterised as a failure in due diligence.
This incident occurs amidst ongoing turmoil for Reform UK in local authorities, including the suspension of nine councillors from Kent County Council where the party secured a majority in May.
Councillor's Response and Investigation
Speaking to The Mirror, Councillor Pickup said: "I welcome the suspension and investigation and look forward to the truth coming out."
The suspension comes in the same week that Reform UK leader Nigel Farage faced renewed allegations about racist and antisemitic remarks during his school days, which he strongly denies.
Reform UK has been approached for comment regarding Councillor Pickup's suspension.
