Nigel Farage has been accused of sinking to a “new low” after a Reform UK councillor who was under investigation following allegations of racist social media activity has been reinstated by the party.
Glenn Gibbins, who was elected to Sunderland City Council in May, was suspended from the party shortly after his election after being accused of posting racist comments online about the city’s Nigerian community.
In March 2024, Mr Gibbins posted online: “Carnt [sic] believe amount of Nigerians in town… should melt them all down and fill in the pot holes!!”
A Reform UK spokesperson said: “Following an internal disciplinary process, Cllr Gibbins has been readmitted to the party and issued with a final written warning. He has apologised for making the post and accepts that it was made in extremely poor taste showing poor judgment.”
Anna Turley MP, chair of the Labour Party, said: “Nigel Farage has sunk to a new low. On the same day he shrugged off vile sexist and offensive comments from Robert Kenyon, Reform has turned a blind eye to blatant racism.
“Nobody who has made such disgusting comments is fit to serve the public – shamefully Nigel Farage clearly thinks that’s not the case. He must reverse this decision and prove that there is no place for racism in Reform UK.”
In May, Mr Gibbins told local paper ChronicleLive that his posts from the time were “intended as jokes”, and were “made in extremely poor taste and with poor judgement.”
“I fully recognise that these comments were entirely inappropriate and I sincerely apologise to anyone who may have been offended by them,” he added.
His original post has since been deleted after first being reported by campaign group Hope Not Hate.
The councillor, who has sat as an independent since his election, was also accused of misogyny over earlier posts. In 2023, Mr Gibbins posted that women living in Sunderland lived in the city “120 years ago … they would get paid by people just to see how fat they were”, Hope Not Hate found.
Ms Turley added: “The risk of Reform couldn’t be clearer. While Nigel Farage drags his party and politics into the gutter, Labour will always stand firmly against racism and continue working every day to bring communities together.”
The Independent has attempted to contact Mr Gibbins for comment.
