Reform UK revokes membership of council leader accused of racism

The Guardian - World NewsCenter-LeftEN 3 min read 100% complete by Josh Halliday North of England editorDecember 5, 2025 at 07:45 PM

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Reform UK revoked the membership of Ian Cooper, a Staffordshire county council leader, after allegations surfaced of racist online posts targeting public figures. Cooper allegedly made abusive comments about Sadiq Khan, David Lammy, and others, including a British-born lawyer. The posts, revealed by Hope Not Hate and shared with the Guardian, prompted calls for Cooper's resignation from multiple Labour MPs. Reform UK stated the revocation was due to Cooper's failure to declare social media accounts during vetting. Cooper, who was also Reform's parliamentary candidate for Tamworth in recent elections, has not responded to the allegations. He is no longer the leader of Staffordshire county council.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Staffordshire county council ×240% Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu 50% Reform UK ×350% David Lammy 60% Sadiq Khan ×270% Nigel Farage 80%

Keywords

racism 90% reform uk 80% party membership revoked 70% racial abuse 70% social media posts 60% staffordshire county council 50% immigration 50% discrimination 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Very Negative

Score: -0.60

Source Transparency

Source

The Guardian - World News

Political Lean

Center-Left (-0.40)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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racism reform uk party membership revoked racial abuse social media posts staffordshire county council immigration discrimination

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