A recently elected Reform UK councilor has been suspended for sharing images of a Nazi flag and making derogatory comments about certain groups in now-deleted social media posts. Nathaniel Menday, who won the election to represent the Woodhouse ward on Sheffield City Council in the recent local elections, was suspended by Reform UK following controversial posts on Twitter. The party stated that Menday’s posts have tarnished the party’s reputation, leading to his suspension pending an investigation.
Menday allegedly shared photos of a swastika, Hitler’s Mein Kampf, and far-right symbols like the Sonnenrad. In one post, he criticized the appearance of people in the UK, labeling them as inferior compared to Europeans and referring to them as a “subhuman underclass.”
A spokesperson for Reform UK disclosed that Menday failed to disclose these posts, leading to his suspension as the party does not endorse such remarks. Councillor Martin Smith of the Liberal Democrat group expressed deep concern over Menday’s actions, highlighting the promotion of white supremacist symbols and discriminatory language as characteristics of far-right extremism.
The incident occurred despite prior statements from Reform UK’s deputy leader, Richard Tice, who indicated that Menday’s behavior would be reviewed post-election. Menday is the fourth Reform UK councilor to be suspended since the local elections on May 7. Another councilor, Ben Rowe from Plymouth, was suspended for sharing a divisive social media post, while Worcestershire County Council members Ashley Monk and Jo Monk were suspended for their refusal to accept the decisions of the Reform UK group.