A Reform UK councillor in Lancashire has been suspended after reportedly participating in a WhatsApp group where members allegedly discussed violent extremist views, including a call for a “mass Islam genocide.” Tom Pickup, elected to Lancashire county council in May, confirmed he was part of the group, which had been set up by a right-wing activist.
Leaked screenshots revealed that one member of the chat said Prime Minister Keir Starmer “needs a fucking bullet,” to which another replied: “He’s a DICKtator.” Pickup joined in, calling the prime minister a “dicktaker.”
In other exchanges, Pickup allegedly referred to a government minister as a “Ukrainian boy penetrator” and expressed agreement with “mass deportations.” He also wrote that Reform members were “a lot more hardline on immigration than is typically stated publicly” and suggested the party needed to be “tactical” to secure a majority government.
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK confirmed on Wednesday that Pickup had been suspended pending a formal investigation.
Pickup denies endorsing extreme posts and claims messages taken “out of context”
Pickup, who served as the county council’s lead member for resources and finance, admitted belonging to the WhatsApp group but insisted his comments had been “twisted out of context.” He said he was unaware of the most extreme posts in the chat, including one calling for a “mass Islam genocide” and others encouraging people to stockpile weapons to attack “lefties” and migrants.
He described his “dicktaker” remark as a “jokey comment” and said: “99% of what occurs in groups, I don’t see. Based on my involvement in it and what I have seen, I’ve been my usual jokey self, and it’s been twisted out of context.”
Pickup said he left the WhatsApp group this week after his messages were shared on social media. He claimed he tried to review earlier posts but could not because messages deleted automatically after 24 hours.
When asked directly whether he supported calls for a genocide against Muslims, Pickup said: “Of course not. I’ve done a lot of community engagement work with the Islamic community. It’s something I would have condemned and probably reported, but I don’t know if the posts are genuine. I’ve not seen them.”
Labour councillor demands resignation and raises “domestic terrorism” warning
Labour’s Samara Barnes, also a councillor on Lancashire county council, called for Pickup to resign immediately and confirmed she had reported him to the authority’s standards watchdog.
“We’re living in a tinderbox,” she said. “If people are suggesting an Islam genocide, this is domestic terrorism. We’ve seen what happens when people become radicalised. This is beyond an apology. Reform UK need to take a real stand.”
Lancashire council: Pickup now sits as an independent
A spokesperson for Lancashire county council said: “We are aware that county councillor Tom Pickup has been suspended from Reform UK pending investigation. Cllr Pickup remains a councillor, sitting as an independent.”
Rising scrutiny of extremism and political rhetoric in the UK
The suspension comes amid heightened national concerns over online radicalisation and hostility towards minority communities. In recent months, police and counter-extremism officials have warned that hostile rhetoric surrounding immigration and the Middle East has increased the risk of far-right mobilisation. Political parties have faced pressure to address extremist sympathisers within their ranks and enforce stronger standards for online conduct.
