Newly-elected Reform UK councillor who apologised for ‘non white persons’ post has shared other racist and offensive posts
Reform is facing calls to expel Ken Tranter from the party
A newly-elected Reform councillor who apologised last week for sharing a racist post on Facebook has been revealed to have shared a number of other offensive posts on social media.
An initial post by Reform councillor Ken Tranter was unearthed, in which he wrote that he had spoken to police about “non white persons taking over the Municipal Gardens and the strong pervading smell of canabis [sic]”.
The post sparked criticism and accusations of racism. The Hampshire County Councillor then apologised, stating that the post was a “poor choice of words” and “open to misinterpretation as racist”.
Tranter wrote that “referring to the group by skin colour was a poor choice that I deeply regret”.
“It was clumsy, unnecessary, and open to misinterpretation as racist, and I take full responsibility for that,” he added.
However, reporting by Byline Times has uncovered other racist material shared by Tranter.
Just two days before the local council elections, on 5 May, he shared a post that compared two Muslim men to cockroaches.
In the meme, there is an image of cockroaches with the caption: “Neglect your HOUSE, and this will take over”.
Beneath the image of the cockroaches is a photo of two Muslim men holding a Palestinian flag, with the words: “Neglect your COUNTRY, and this will take over”.
In a post from April this year, Tranter also shared what looks to be an AI-generated image of a large Muslim family with the caption “they breed, you pay”.
In a post from October 2024, Tranter shared a meme which read: “Coming soon – The Aspirin Tax” – implying that “Labour is going to impose a 40% tax on Aspirin” because “it’s WHITE and it WORKS!”.
Tranter has also shared several “joke” memes mocking asylum seekers and Muslims. In one post, Keir Starmer is pictured as a small dog being walked on a leash by a Muslim man.
In another, Green Party Deputy Leader, Mothin Ali, is depicted as a puppet pulling Zack Polanski’s strings.
The new Reform leader of Hampshire County Council, George Madgwick, has been urged to expel Tranter from the Reform group and the party.
In a letter, Labour MP Alex Baker urged Magdwick to withdraw the whip from Tranter over his “divisive and completely unacceptable” comments.
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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