Reform UK has announced it has suspended its candidate in the only election taking place in the West of England this month – just two days before voters go to the polls – after further social media posts came to light had prompted a formal complaint made against him.
Nigel Farage’s party has told Bristol Live that they had ‘withdrawn support’ for Paul Heyward, who is standing as a candidate in a by-election being held in South Gloucestershire.
The by-election is to elect one of 12 councillors to represent the Winterbourne ward on the large parish council, which covers a big area from Hambrook on the edge of Bristol, up to the edge of Yate in South Gloucestershire.
Mr Heyward’s name will still be on the ballot paper when polls open on Thursday this week, May 14, but Reform UK say he has been suspended from the party, following complaints about his social media posts.
A spokesperson for Reform UK told Bristol Live: “Mr Heyward has been suspended from Reform UK and the party has withdrawn support for his candidacy.”
On Monday, the Green Party announced it had written to South Gloucestershire Council, which oversees the parish and town councils in its area, calling into question Mr Heyward’s suitability to be an elected representative and calling for a formal investigation.
Last month, Bristol Live reported on complaints about posts made by Mr Heyward on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, including one which replied to a post by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer with a call for ‘somebody to shoot this ****’.
Mr Heyward’s X account profile shared his photograph along with a larger picture of an AI-generated blond boy in what appeared to be chain mail with an incorrect Union flag on the front and a red cloak, petting a giant sleeping lion.
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Last year, the account also shared posts from Tommy Robinson, and one from the now defunct organisation Bristol Patriots, and his profile described himself as ‘anti Islam, anti imagration (sic), anti woke, there are only 2 genders, pro Great Britain no DMs’.
Before the article was published, Mr Heyward deleted his X account, and declined to respond to Bristol Live’s request for a statement.
Reform UK also declined to respond at the time, but with the new complaint, Reform UK did respond, confirming Mr Heyward had been suspended from the party.
The by-election takes place this Thursday, with hundreds of voters going to four different polling stations across Winterbourne and the surrounding villages to cast their votes. The only other candidate in the poll is Monica Maggs, for the Green Party.
Paul Heyward, from Winterbourne, who is standing as a Reform UK candidate in a Winterbourne Parish Council by-election, has been criticised for previous posts on X/Twitter. This was his profile on X. He deleted his account after Bristol Live contacted him about his posts.(Image: Paul Heyward/X)
A spokesperson for the Green Party said they had written to the Returning Officer at South Gloucestershire Council, calling for an investigation into Mr Heyward.
“We are writing to formally request that Paul Heyward, the current candidate for the councillor vacancy in the Winterbourne Parish Council by-election, South Gloucestershire, be investigated regarding his suitability to stand for public office,” the letter said.
“We also ask that consideration be given as to whether a number of Mr Heyward’s social media posts constitute breaches of laws relating to incitement to violence, and hate speech. These matters have already been reported publicly by Bristol Live, following which Mr Heyward deleted his X account. However, the seriousness of the content published warrants further investigation,” they added.
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The letter highlights other historic posts by Mr Heyward which they claim ‘are inflammatory, discriminatory, and constitute hate speech’ that was either against sexual orientations, anti-Muslim, ableist and misogynistic.
“We believe these comments are inflammatory, discriminatory, and constitute hate speech,” said the Green Party spokesperson. “Given the nature and severity of these statements, we respectfully request that this matter be fully investigated, both in relation to Mr Heyward’s suitability to hold public office and any potential breaches of relevant legislation concerning hate speech, malicious communications, and incitement to violence,” the letter added.
Mr Heyward has again been contacted, and a response is awaited.