Reform councillor suspended for anti-Islam posts

A newly-elected Reform UK councillor has been suspended from the party after he was accused of making a series of Islamophobic and antisemitic posts on social media.

Ben Rowe was elected to Plymouth City Council on Friday with 1,649 votes - more than double that of his nearest rival, Labour's Tina Tuohy.

On Tuesday, the party confirmed to the BBC that Rowe had been suspended from it. The BBC has been attempting to contact Rowe.

A Reform UK spokesman said: "Cllr Rowe has been suspended from Reform UK pending investigation."

The BBC has seen posts on Rowe's Facebook account with a blackface meme, images calling on people to "Free the world of Islam" and pictures of fake shotgun shells loaded with bits of bacon.

According to a previous article in The Times, in a comment beneath a YouTube video in February, Rowe accused "the Jews" of "creating division by forcing other races on our societies" and described immigrants to the UK "breeding like rats".

Reform took 14 seats in the Plymouth City Council elections out of a total 19 seats available.

Elections are held in thirds in Plymouth - meaning one third of the seats is up for election every year with a fourth year where no elections take place.

The results of the elections meant Labour kept control of the council with 31 seats and Reform became the main opposition party with 16 seats.