At least five Reform UK councilors were members of a Facebook group linked to a far-right group involved in the blockade of Dover and Portsmouth by masked men, according to anti-fascist campaigners.
It comes as Nigel Farage’s party battles internal divisions over its position within the Patriot Platform group, which has been condemned by the reformist UK leader and across the political spectrum.
Five councilors – two from Solihull, two from Gateshead and one from Kent – have been accepted as members of the Northeast Patriots Facebook group. Two of them left the organization after being contacted by the Guardian newspaper, and the fifth also said he was no longer a member.
Its front page invites visitors to “join the movement” at the website of Patriot Platform, a vigilante group created by Daniel Thomas, a longtime associate of the far-right activist known as Tommy Robinson.
Reform is currently divided over its position on Daniel Thomas and the Patriot Platform, amid concern among some Reform members and advisers about Farage’s condemnation of its activities.
The North East Patriots group was set up by Tyneside reform campaigner Mark Thorne, whose Facebook page describes him as a “Reform UK spokesman/Campaigner for Gateshead Central and Wickham Borough”.
Anti-fascist group Hope Not Hate named four advisers who were members of the closed group. When welcoming new members, they were tagged with their nickname, which would not be possible if they were not members since it is a closed group.
At least 14 other reform advisers have been invited to join the group. One of them, Gateshead councilor James Wright, told the Guardian he was no longer following it up. “I joined the Northeast Patriots Facebook group in the same way that I follow and monitor a wide range of local groups, community pages and political discussions,” he said.
“Membership in a social media group should not be taken as an endorsement of every point of view expressed by other members, administrators, or organizations referenced in it.
“I do not condone any illegal activity, disorder, intimidation or violence. My job as a council member is to represent residents and understand the issues that are being discussed locally.”
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Reform Party home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf met Daniel Thomas in Portsmouth last week, the day after clashes with police when Patriot Platform activists joined anti-migrant protests in Portsmouth.
Yusuf later recalled that Thomas – a convicted criminal – made his point “respectfully” and challenged Kemi Badenoch’s conviction of the group. “How dare you call them ‘thugs,’” Yusuf told the Tory leader on X.
Gregory Davies, senior fellow at Hope Not Hate, said: “Following the initial condemnation of the Patriot Platform balaclava gang in Dover, when Farage called them “disgusting”, “wrong” and “horrible”, Reform’s reporting on the group has since become somewhat more muddled.
“The connection we have uncovered is very concerning. Patriot Platform is a far-right vigilante group that has currently been involved in several clashes with police, resulting in numerous arrests and more expected to be made.”