Reform council leader defends councillor who called police British hating scum'

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"In now-deleted posts on X written before he was elected onto Staffordshire Country Council, Councillor Peter Mason called the police a bunch of politically indoctrinated British hating scum. In another post, from March 2024, he wrote: "What a surprise a statue of a fat arsed black woman." After the posts came to light, Councillor Mason, who is also the cabinet member for highways at the council, apologised and said he regretted his choice of words."

"In the statement, he sent to The Independent, he added that the posts were written during a difficult personal time when he was impacted by grief and redundancy. However, political opponents at the council have called for him to step down, including Conservative group leader Philip White, who described the posts as abhorrent. In response, Ian Cooper, leader of Staffordshire County Council, sent an email to Reform councillors to defend Councillor Mason, claiming he had come under tar"

A Reform councillor apologised after earlier social media posts surfaced in which he insulted the police and made a derogatory remark about a Black statue. The posts were written before his election to Staffordshire County Council and were later deleted. The councillor, who serves as the cabinet member for highways, said he regretted his choice of words and attributed them to a difficult period marked by grief and redundancy. Political opponents, including Conservative group leader Philip White, called for his resignation and described the posts as abhorrent. The leader of Staffordshire County Council sent an email defending the councillor.

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