Community leaders in East Staffordshire have called for two county councillors to resign following allegations of racist social media posts.
Racism
East Staffordshire’s Deputy Mayor (Labour) – the first black woman to become a councillor on the borough authority – spoke of the impact of racism on her and other people of colour in the borough at Monday’s full council meeting, where two motions relating to county councillors Ian Cooper (Reform 2025 Ltd) and Peter Mason (formerly Reform Ltd) were discussed and supported.
Councillor Cooper was Staffordshire County Council’s leader before it was announced on Tuesday (December 9) that he had resigned from the position. He currently sits as an independent member of the county council after his Reform UK membership was revoked.
Campaign group Hope Not Hate claimed that Councillor Cooper had posted dozens of ‘racist and bigoted’ comments on YouTube and X, including offensive remarks aimed at Black and Asian public figures. Councillor Cooper has been approached for comment by a number of media outlets in the wake of the claims.
County leader resigned after racist comments discovered on social media
On Monday (December 8) an “urgent notice of motion” was presented to East Staffordshire Borough Council – the night before Councillor Cooper’s resignation as the county authority leader was announced. It called for Councillor Cooper to resign as leader and as an elected representative.
Councillor Paul Walker said in his motion:
This council celebrates multicultural East Staffordshire as being a tolerant community, where different communities come together to share in each other’s history and values.
Deputy Mayor Monica Holton, who represents the Burton and Eton ward, said:
It is with much sadness and sustained trauma and distress that I stand to speak on this motion. I am tired, we are tired, and we know in our communities that racism exists and has existed for hundreds of years.
Yet still we stand, still we turn up, contribute, assist, show kindness and compassion, integrate and stand proud of the Staffordshire we have come to know and love. I say this to the councillors in question or those who would stand complicit – shame on you.
We will not segregate ourselves and we do not segregate. We will continue to rise together in unity and continue to lead with love.
I do appreciate this motion coming, although believe you me the immediate impact is very distressful. I spoke at a local parish council meeting and both parish councillors of colour were very distressed and tearful to know that in the 21st century we are still having to talk about racism.
But we stand proud, serving our communities as we always have and always will. To those who are complicit and refuse to call out racism, we see you and it will not be tolerated.
Councillor Mason, who was elected to the county authority to serve East Staffordshire’s Burton South division as a Reform UK member in May and currently remains a cabinet member, apologised last month for his ‘choice of words’ in tweets about black women and the police. The social media posts – made before he became a councillor – were recently highlighted by the ‘Reform Party UK Exposed’ account on X, formerly Twitter.
Such remarks are corrosive to our values
Councillor George Allen put forward a separate motion calling for Councillor Mason to be removed from the county council cabinet and to resign from the authority. Councillor Allen said:
Let us be absolutely clear, remarks such as those made by Councillor Mason are disgraceful, racist, demeaning, and corrosive to the values we uphold as a country.
The public, all of the public, must have every confidence their concerns and interests will be fairly balanced without fear of prejudice or discrimination. When anyone, particularly someone in public service, uses such language, they do more than insult individuals.
They undermine the principles of equality, respect, and integrity that underpin our civic life. They attempt to divide neighbours against one another, to normalise hate, and to drag public discourse into the gutter.
Cllr Mason: I made the comments before joining Reform Ltd
Councillor Mason said last month:
These tweets were made in 2023 and early 2024 when I was not a member of any political party or elected as a councillor and during a difficult time personally, affected by grief and redundancy. I do regret and apologise for my choice of words.
I do hold traditional views but have never cared as to someone’s race, colour, religion or orientation. My strongest held belief of all is one of meritocracy and all being equal of opportunity.
No one is better or more worthy than another. Having joined Reform and become a councillor I have found this has allowed me to recover from my negative frame of mind and find a way to a more positive and optimistic outlook.
The row intensifies – police had to be called
On 11 December it is reported the council meeting descended into such chaos with a third Reform UK Cllr being accused of endorsing racist remarks, that police had to be called.
After an article by Local Democracy reporter Kerry Ashdown.
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