Council leader expelled from Reform UK lambasts MP

The council leader removed from Reform UK for allegedly making racist comments on social media has broken his silence to lambast an MP who suggested there were wider issues among his colleagues.

Ian Cooper, leader of Staffordshire County Council, posted on Labour MP for Tamworth Sarah Edwards' Facebook page that she was "wrong on so many levels".

His Reform UK membership was revoked on Friday after "an investigation into the failure to declare social media accounts during the candidate vetting process", a spokesperson for the party said.

Edwards said the behaviour of Reform UK councillors in Staffordshire was "deeply concerning".

In a statement, she referred to "the silence" from Cooper's fellow Reform UK members, which she described as "deafening".

"So far, his colleagues have not condemned this behaviour or these views," she said.

"If this conduct is reflective of the county's leadership, it raises serious questions about the standards and values of Ian Cooper's colleagues."

But Cooper told Edwards she was wrong, adding: "The good thing is I don't need to be a politician for the money, unlike some. I can walk away today without consequences.

"You'll have nothing when you're binned in the coming years."

He has not responded to repeated requests by the BBC for a comment.

His suspension comes after the activist group Hope Not Hate claimed to have found racist posts on an account on X allegedly linked to Ian Cooper.

One of the posts is about former foreign secretary David Lammy which read: "No foreign national or first generation migrant should be allowed to sit in Parliament."

His alleged activity on Facebook also came under scrutiny after a group called Reform UK Exposed claimed he was a top fan of a page called The European Race, which promotes white supremacy.

A top fan is someone who has high engagement with a Facebook page.

Cooper remains leader of the council but is no longer leader of its Reform group.

A spokesperson for Staffordshire County Council said proposals to nominate a new leader would need to be agreed at a meeting of full council, which is due to take place on Thursday.

"Our job will be to continue serving the residents of Staffordshire and delivering services without disruption," the council spokesperson added.

Following Cooper's latest Facebook comments, Tamworth Conservatives said it was time for for him to "step aside".

He is not the first of Staffordshire's Reform councillors to face scrutiny over their social media activity.

Last month the county council's cabinet member for highways Peter Mason apologised for his choice of words over posts he wrote about black women and the police.

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