Suspended Reform councillor faces calls to quit over rape charges

A Reform councillor is facing mounting calls to resign from his position after being charged with 35 offences, including 12 counts of rape.

George Madgwick, who was suspended from Reform on Tuesday, is facing charges including rape, sexual assault, controlling or coercive behaviour.

He has also been charged with making two counts of making indecent images of children, making a threat to kill, false imprisonment and stalking.

The allegations against the former Reform councillor relate to four teenagers and span a 13 year period, between 2008 and 2021.

Madgwick, who is due to appear at Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court on 25 November, denies any wrongdoing. 

Hampshire County Council said that Madgwick resigned as leader of the Reform UK group on Hampshire County Council and as a Member of the Reform UK group on the County Council with immediate effect.

Madgwick is also now listed as an independent member of Portsmouth City Council.

However, Labour in Portsmouth and Havant have called on Magwick to go further and resign from both of his councillor positions at Portsmouth City Council and Hampshire County Council.

Portsmouth News has reported that Portsmouth Labour group leader Charlotte Gerada and Gillian Harris, leader of Havant Borough Council, have written to Magwick calling on him to resign with “immediate effect”.

They say that the allegations are “exceptionally serious” while clarifying that they are “not convictions”. 

It said: “Holding elected office is a position of public trust and the seriousness and nature of these allegations make your continued position as a councillor untenable.”

The letter adds that Madgwick should resign immediately “for the sake of the individuals who have come forward, as well as your constituents, and for the integrity of public office”.

In a statement posted on social media on Tuesday evening, Madgwick said: “I am shocked and dismayed at the charges brought against me. 

“Whilst the charges are extremely serious, I will say unequivocally that I am innocent of the allegations against me.

“Due process must take its course and the legal process must be followed without hindrance.”

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said its investigation into Madgwick began on 24 July 2025, after receiving a report of a sexual offence.

Reform suspended Madgwick from the party on Tuesday, when the charges against him became public.

In September, Madgwick attended a protest with masked protesters connected to the far-right activist Daniel Thomas, known as Danny Tommo, and spoke to the media.

He was recently involved in an incident in which protesters gathered outside a Portsmouth hotel after mistaking Pakistan’s under-19s cricket team for asylum seekers. Madgwick liaised with hotel staff and persuaded protesters to leave.

Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward