Another Reform candidate resigns after vetting failure – and councils are forced to pick up the bill
A newly elected Reform UK councillor, Stuart Prior, has resigned following allegations of racist social media posts, prompting upcoming by-elections. Despite prior vetting, the party has faced repeated issues with candidates making offensive online comments. Local councils will bear the financial cost of these by-elections, potentially amounting to over £300,000 across multiple resignations.
- ▪Stuart Prior resigned after being confronted about social media posts that celebrated the rape of a Sikh woman and used racist language.
- ▪Prior was elected to both Essex County Council and Rochford District Council before his resignation, necessitating costly by-elections.
- ▪Reform UK has seen 17 councillors resign since May 2025, with 12 of those linked to vetting, conduct, or administrative failures.
- ▪Local councils will cover the expenses of by-elections, which could total more than £300,000 due to multiple candidate failures.
- ▪Nigel Farage maintains that Reform UK’s vetting process is rigorous, despite repeated controversies involving candidates’ past social media activity.
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NewsUKUK PoliticsAnother Reform candidate resigns after vetting failure – and councils are forced to pick up the billExclusive: Several costly resignations have come after allegations of racist social media activityAlbert Toth Saturday 16 May 2026 10:25 BSTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":true,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"b2974935","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/reform-uk-vetting-local-election-councillors-resign-b2974935.html","title":"Another Reform candidate resigns after vetting failure as councils forced to pay"}}open image in…
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