Kamal Ghorui
A newly elected councillor for Reform UK has stepped down just days after securing a major local election victory, following allegations that he made deeply offensive racist remarks on social media.Stuart Prior, who had recently won seats in both Essex County Council and Rochford District Council, resigned shortly after controversy erupted over alleged posts linked to him.The party also confirmed it has revoked his membership.Allegations of extremist and racist online postsAccording to reports by campaign group Hope Not Hate, Prior was linked to social media posts that included claims describing white people as a “master race” and suggesting they had “larger brains”.Other alleged remarks attributed to him included abusive and inflammatory language directed at Muslims and minorities.When confronted by media, Prior reportedly denied recollection of the posts and dismissed the claims, saying: “That’s not what I would have put down.”Reform UK reacts: resignation and expulsionA Reform UK spokesperson said Prior informed the party he was stepping down for “personal reasons”, adding that his membership had been immediately withdrawn.Local councils confirmed his resignation from both elected roles, triggering preparations for by-elections in the affected wards.The resignation comes just days after Reform UK made significant gains, taking control of Essex County Council from the Conservatives with a large majority win.Prior had secured around 40 per cent of the vote in his divisions, making the sudden exit particularly disruptive for the newly formed council leadership.The incident is part of a broader wave of scrutiny involving several newly elected councillors across parties, with multiple individuals facing allegations over racist, antisemitic, or extremist online content.Investigations and suspensions have been reported in different councils as political parties rush to respond to growing backlash over candidates’ past social media activity.Both Essex County Council and Rochford District Council have confirmed they are coordinating to organise by-elections, with details expected to be announced soon for affected residents.
