Newly elected Reform councillor resigns after social media claims

"Stuart Prior was elected as a councillor for Essex county council last Thursday, winning 2,404 votes, the highest total of any candidate in the ward. Prior was one of 53 Reform UK councillors elected to the authority, giving the insurgent party overall control of the council. He also won a seat on Rochford district council. A spokesperson for Reform UK confirmed Prior had resigned his positions for personal reasons and that his party membership had been revoked."

"In posts on X in November 2025, he allegedly described white people as the master race and suggested that white people had larger brains. In other posts, Prior allegedly said Muslims are dirt, allegedly wrote that Muslims are awful, globally and allegedly declared: There cannot be a genocide against Muslims. It's only ever self-defence against those rats. The posts were identified in a dossier compiled by the anti-extremism group Hope Not Hate."

"Prior responded to the Mirror: That's not what I would have put down and this isn't me when confronted with the messages. Prior is also alleged to have said black people should be segregated, and asked why black folk bitch about the slave trade. On 27 October 2025, he allegedly wrote, good.reap it in response to a post by the MP Zarah Sultana about a Sikh woman being raped."

"A Sikh women in her 20s was raped in Walsall last year. Last week, John Ashby, 32, was sentenced to life in prison for the racially motivated rape. In the runup to the local elections, four Labour MPs from the metropolitan borough of Sandwell sent a joint letter to Reform's leader in Sandwell, Ray N"

Stuart Prior, elected as a Reform UK councillor for Essex county council and also elected to Rochford district council, resigned days after taking office. His party membership was revoked and he stepped down from his positions for personal reasons. Prior faced criticism over alleged social media posts, including celebrating the rape of a Sikh woman in the Midlands, claiming white people were the master race, and suggesting white people had larger brains. He was also accused of calling Muslim people rats and asserting there cannot be a genocide against Muslims, framing it as self-defence. Additional allegations included advocating segregation of black people and making remarks about the slave trade. Prior denied making the comments or being racist.

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