Offensive tweets from Reform candidate resurfaced

Reform UK has chosen not to comment on the contents of the Twitter account, found in the name of their Hunsbury candidate.

Nadia Lincoln - Local Democracy Reporter | Wednesday 16th April 2025 12:00pm

Sexist and racist tweets from an old account belonging to a Northampton Reform UK election candidate have resurfaced.

Ronald Firman, who is standing for the Hunsbury ward in the West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) May elections, made offensive posts on the social media platform Twitter, now known as X, between 2017 and 2018. The remarks include suggesting throwing a refugee out of a plane, jokes about the KKK, and misogynistic comments about women.

Reform UK has declined to comment on the tweets. Mr Firman, who is also a parish councillor for East Hunsbury, has not responded to requests from the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

In response to an article shared on X about a refugee being jailed for wrongly claiming benefits, he wrote in December 2017: “Sorry really think he should have been spared jail. Instead given a free flight back to Somalia.

“Oh and when the plane is 30,000 feet over Somalia throw him out.”

In another comment under a Sky News post about Grenfell Tower survivors being offered permanent residency in the UK, he commented that “a lot of them also lost so many pretend relatives”.

Another X user replied: “What time we meeting later lads, do I need my white sheet? Can I borrow a pitch fork?”. Mr Firman said in response, “You forgot my burning cross.”

The LDRS has seen other offensive posts, including a comment on a story about F1 grid girls being scrapped from races asking if people would have complained if they were “all fat and ugly” and had “boards saying 'my legs are open for refugees”.

The account does not appear to have been used since February 2018.

Reform UK was asked by the LDRS if they were aware of the X account held by the candidate and what their position was on the content that was shared publicly. The national party said it would not be commenting on the tweets.

Party leader Nigel Farage previously told the LDRS during his visit to Northamptonshire that the 'professionalisation' of the party meant all candidates standing in the county had been vetted and he was confident that they had “great people standing”.

In the last 24 hours, a Reform candidate in Aylesbury was suspended by the party after posting offensive material including an image claiming Muslims were trying to 'take control' of Britain.

At the time of publication, Mr Firman's Reform UK candidate Facebook profile is still active. His new Reform UK X account has been made private since an article exposing the tweets by NN Journal was re-posted by the account 'Reform Party UK Exposed'.

Other candidates vying to be elected to the Hunsbury ward include:

• Damon Boughen, Green Party
• Bob Burnell, Labour Party
• Glenn Butcher, Reform UK
• Pinder Chauhan, Conservative Party
• Katie Evans, Labour Party
• Brendan Glynane, Liberal Democrats
• Andre Gonzalez De Savage, Conservative Party
• Alexander Love, Reform UK
• Matthew McNicholas, Labour Party
• Lucy Newbury, Liberal Democrats
• Daniel Soan, Conservative Party
• Carl Squires, Liberal Democrats

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