In the local elections in May, Reform 2025 Ltd (hereafter ‘Reform’) won a stunning victory in Lancashire, winning 53 of the 84 seats on the council.
One of those successful Reform candidates was Thomas Pickup, who won the Padiham and Burnley West ward, with 1,483 votes, a majority of 332 over Alan Hosker, the incumbent Tory councillor.
Council tax rises
The scene seemed to be set for Pickup and Reform to have a successful time in Lancashire. However, it hasn’t quite turned out that way.
On 10 November came the news that Reform was having to face what was described as the ‘hard reality’ of raising council tax for 1.2 million people in Lancashire by 5%, the highest amount possible.
Lancashire County Council, where Reform took control in May’s election, is now expected to raise council tax, despite Reform’s national leaders promising to send in Elon Musk-style Doge units. These were supposed to look for money that was being wasted by councils, with the intention of bringing council tax down, but instead Reform are now set on raising council tax in Lancashire.
Thomas Pickup involved in WhatsApp group
Then on 19 November, The Lancashire Telegraph reported that one of Reform’s senior councillors in Lancashire had been suspended by the party. This move followed revelations in The Guardian regarding Thomas Pickup’s active involvement in a WhatsApp group openly discussing violence against Muslims and migrants.
The allegation of involvement in the WhatsApp group led to the suspension of Pickup, member for Padiham and Burnley West, and lead member for finance and resources at the council, pending an investigation.
Terrorism and assassination discussed
More information about the WhatsApp group has come from The Lancashire Lead, who have reported that the social media group had various incendiary messages, including talk of stockpiling weapons to commit domestic terrorism, extreme examples of racism and calls for Prime Minister Keir Starmer to be shot.
The Lancashire Lead also claimed that Pickup had posted in the group, “calling for expelled hardline anti-immigrant MP Rupert Lowe to lead the party and saying Reform is deliberately downplaying its immigration policy to be palatable to the public.”
According to The Lead, the WhatsApp group ‘Missuskents Patriotic Community’ is run by conspiracy theorist rapper MissusKent, who performed at Tommy Robinson’s ‘Unite the Kingdom’ rally in September. Other messages included calls for a “mass genocide of Islam”, but not by Mr Pickup.
The Lead asked Pickup about these posts, and he replied that “his posts were made several months apart” and that he had not been “aware of the other posts being made in the group”.
Response from Labour in Lancashire
The Lead approached Labour Cllr Samara Barnes for comment; she told them:
I was deeply concerned to see Cllr Pickup’s involvement in a WhatsApp group that is clearly sharing extremely abhorrent opinions, including calling for a ‘mass Islam genocide’, suggesting procuring air rifles and other weapons and sharing photos of various swords and blades.
Barnes said:
It’s nothing short of domestic terrorism.
It was noted that Barnes had also asked for Pickup to be referred to Prevent, the government initiative on counter-terrorism, over his association with the WhatsApp group.
She continued:
Cllr Pickup does not meet the high standards of behaviour expected of an elected member. He has let his constituents down incredibly. They deserve much better and while he may be suspended by his party, I think he should do the right thing and step down altogether.
A window into Reform
The Lead also reported that one of Pickup’s messages in the group referred to Reform as a wider party and stated:
Everyone in Reform is a lot more hardline on immigration than is typically stated publicly, to get a majority government we have to be tactical.
It was reported on MSN that County Cllr Pickup, identified by the name ‘Tom’ in the screenshots obtained by Reform Party UK Exposed, appears in the WhatsApp group to respond to another, unidentified member of the chat who writes that a “majority of Brits want mass deportations and re migration [sic].”
‘Tom’ is said to have responded by saying:
I agree, I think a clear and detailed policy on immigration will be rolled out quite soon, but until now as the party have been growing it’s been good to use tact to get us there, previous hardline parties have all failed by not doing this approach.
Are Reform showing their true colours?
The behaviour of Councillor Pickup is clearly well below that expected by an elected representative in the county of Lancashire. On the basis of what has been reported, it would seem to be justifiable for Pickup to be reported to Prevent, as various messages in the group clearly amounted to discussions of domestic terrorism.
It is also very revealing what Pickup has had to say about the wider Reform party. He has exposed the notion that far from Reform being hardline on immigration to get votes and then toning down if they won national office, the opposite is true. From what Pickup has said, it seems clear that Reform will be even more hardline on immigration than they have been prepared to show themselves to be so far.
That should concern any right-thinking person in Lancashire or anywhere else across the country, who cares about living in a decent, tolerant and respectful nation.
