Reform UK suspends Kirklees councillor over 2019 social media posts

Reform UK has suspended Kirklees councillor Dave Rowan from the party pending an investigation, after social media posts from 2019 surfaced appearing to show him calling for former Commons Speaker John Bercow to be hanged, alongside homophobic and Islamophobic statements. A Reform UK spokesman said in a statement: "Cllr Rowan has been suspended from Reform UK pending investigation" (BBC News).

The posts were made on X, then known as Twitter, in 2019 — before Rowan was elected as a councillor. In one post, Rowan appeared to write "Hang the Dwarf" in response to a post about John Bercow, who was Commons Speaker at the time (BBC News). The Commons Speaker chairs debates in the House of Commons and keeps order among MPs. The Independent reported the story using Rowan's full name, David Rowan (The Independent).

Further posts from the same period appeared to contain homophobic remarks. In one, Rowan appeared to write: "As a parent not at school.. I don't beleive gays should have kids full stop.." In another, he appeared to post: "Too many muslims mi thinks.. Make sure you take a marker pen Good luck." The misspellings are reproduced as they appeared (BBC News).

A Reform spokesperson confirmed the suspension but gave no detail on the scope or timeline of the investigation (BBC News).

Kirklees Council covers a metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire. Rowan's suspension from the party does not automatically remove him from his council seat. Under standard local government procedure, a party suspension is an internal disciplinary matter, separate from any formal legal process to disqualify a councillor. He remains a sitting councillor unless and until he resigns or is removed through due process.

The posts date from before Rowan held elected office. Reform UK, operating under previous names at the time, was not the party under which Rowan was eventually elected. The party's current leadership has not commented beyond confirming the suspension.

This is not the first time Reform UK has faced questions about how it vets its candidates and elected representatives. The party has previously suspended members over social media activity, and the response in Rowan's case follows an established pattern: suspension pending investigation is announced once offensive material is brought to the party's attention, with fuller disciplinary processes following.

The broader context is one of ongoing scrutiny of party vetting procedures across the political spectrum. Social media histories have become a routine source of damaging revelations about elected representatives, particularly those elected for newer or less established parties where the systems for checking candidates' backgrounds may be less developed. Posts made years before a candidate's selection can surface at any point during their time in office.

For Reform UK specifically, each such case tests the party's stated commitment to disciplining members whose past conduct falls short of expected standards. The Rowan case also shows that vetting challenges extend beyond parliamentary selections into local government, where oversight can be thinner.

Rowan has not publicly responded to the suspension or to the content of the posts as reported. The Reform UK investigation remains ongoing.