Newly-elected Reform councillor suspended over vile posts suggesting UK has 'subhuman underclass'

A newly-elected Reform UK councillor has been suspended after he appeared to share photos of a Nazi flag and suggest that Britain has a 'subhuman underclass' in now-deleted social media posts.

Nathaniel Menday was elected to represent the Woodhouse ward on Sheffield City Council in last week's local elections - but has been suspended from his party over now-deleted posts made on X (formerly Twitter). Reform UK confirmed that he had been suspended "pending investigation" over the posts which "have brought the party into disrepute."

He is said to have shared photos of a swastika and an image of Hitler's Mein Kampf, alongside online far-right iconography, including Sonnenrad, or ‘sun wheel’.

In another post, he said people in the United Kingdom are "fatter, uglier and poorly dressed" compared to other countries in Europe, adding: "On top of this we have a disgusting, almost subhuman underclass of people bringing the place down."

A Reform UK spokesperson told the Sheffield Star that Mr Menday had been suspended after he "failed to declare the posts", adding: "Reform UK does not support such comments."]

Councillor Martin Smith, leader of the Liberal Democrat group at Sheffield City Council, told the newspaper: "These further revelations about Reform's Woodhouse councillor are deeply disturbing.

"Promoting white supremacist symbols, describing others as ‘a subhuman underclass’ and blaming Jewish people for antisemitism are the hallmarks of far-right extremism."

It comes after the party's deputy leader, Richard Tice, said prior to polling day that Mr Menday would be assessed if he was elected, after which "decisions will be made".

Mr Menday is the fourth Reform UK councillor to be suspended since the local elections on May 7.

Plymouth City Councillor Ben Rowe was suspended on Monday for allegedly sharing a post on social media depicting a bomb being dropped on Mecca, and accusing "the Jews" of "creating division by forcing other races on our societies".

And on the same day, Farage's party announced that Worcestershire County Council's Ashley Monk and Jo Monk had been suspended for "refusing to accept the democratic decision of the Reform UK group".