Ben Rowe (Plymouth): suspension on 2026-05-11
Reason & context
Suspended by Reform UK days after being elected to Plymouth City Council for Ham ward (7 May 2026). LBC revealed pre-election social-media posts described as anti-Islam; Reform UK initially "investigated" the candidate, then post-election the party suspended him. Per Mark Pack's 2026 tracker: "called out on multiple occasions for his offensive posts."
Sources
Verified by 2 gold-tier sources and 5 primary or corroborating sources. What do these tiers mean?
- cross_check gold How many councillors has Reform UK lost since the May 2026 elections? [markpack.org.uk]
- cross_check gold Plymouth Council: Cllr Ben Rowe profile [democracy.plymouth.gov.uk]
- primary Plymouth Reform councillor suspended days after winning a seat [plymouthherald.co.uk]
- corroborating Reform UK investigates Plymouth candidate over anti-Islam posts [bbc.com]
- corroborating Reform councillor suspended after LBC revealed social media post [lbc.co.uk]
- corroborating Reform councillor in Plymouth suspended for anti-Islam posts [bbc.co.uk]
- corroborating Newly-elected Reform councillor resigns over social media posts (Prior-led story, names Rowe/Plymouth) [theguardian.com]
Disclosure. Compiled by Paul G Webster, communications officer for the East Lindsey Green Party. Every tracker entry is added on the same two-source verification standard regardless of which party the councillor was elected for.