Reform UK Deputy Leader Refuses to Condemn Councillor Who Suggested 'Melting Nigerians' to Fill Potholes
Richard Tice, the deputy leader of Reform UK, has refused to condemn comments from a newly elected councillor who suggested “melting Nigerians” to fill potholes in his constituency — remarks that have drawn widespread outrage and renewed scrutiny of the party’s vetting processes.
Glenn Gibbins, who won his seat for the Hylton Castle Ward in Sunderland, posted the vile suggestion on social media before his election. When confronted about the remarks during an appearance on the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg, Tice dismissed the line of questioning as “smearing” and pivoted to other topics, declining multiple opportunities to denounce the comments or confirm whether Gibbins would face disciplinary action.
The exchange laid bare a pattern that critics say has become a hallmark of Reform UK’s approach to extremism within its own ranks: deflection rather than accountability. Rather than addressing the substance of the racist remarks — which dehumanised an entire national group in the most graphic terms imaginable — Tice chose to attack the media for raising the issue, a strategy that has drawn condemnation from across the political spectrum.
Gibbins’ comments are not an isolated incident. Since Reform UK’s surge in local elections, a succession of the party’s candidates and elected officials have been exposed for making racist, conspiratorial, or otherwise inflammatory statements. The party has consistently struggled to articulate a clear position on such cases, often choosing silence or deflection over decisive action.
The refusal to condemn the remarks is particularly notable given the growing Nigerian diaspora in the United Kingdom. Nigerians constitute one of the largest African communities in Britain, contributing significantly to the National Health Service, academia, technology, and business. The suggestion that members of this community should be “melted” — a word deliberately evoking industrial violence and dehumanisation — represents a level of rhetoric that goes well beyond the boundaries of acceptable political discourse.
Sunderland, where Gibbins won his ward, has its own complex history with immigration and integration. The city has experienced periods of tension but also remarkable community solidarity. The election of a councillor who traffics in such overtly racist imagery raises questions about what his victory signals for the city’s social fabric and whether residents were fully aware of his views before casting their ballots.
The incident also exposes a fundamental tension within Reform UK’s political project. The party positions itself as a voice for ordinary working people frustrated with mainstream politics, yet it repeatedly fails to distance itself from candidates whose views are not merely populist but openly hostile to entire racial and national groups. This failure to establish a clear red line on racism risks tainting the legitimate grievances of voters who supported the party for entirely different reasons.
Political analysts note that Tice’s media strategy — dismissing racist remarks as “smears” — follows a playbook that has been deployed by populist movements across Europe. By reframing the accuser rather than addressing the accusation, the party shifts attention away from the substance of the offence and towards a narrative of media victimisation. It is a technique that works in the short term but erodes public trust over time.
The question now is whether Reform UK will face any meaningful political consequences for its deputy leader’s refusal to disavow comments that most voters, regardless of political affiliation, would find repugnant. In an era when social media amplifies every statement and every silence, the party’s calculation that deflection carries less risk than condemnation may yet prove to be a serious miscalculation.
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