New Broadland Reform UK councillor 'receiving training' over tweets labelled Islamophobic
James ‘Jimmi’ Lee, who was elected to represent Acle for Reform at a Broadland Council by-election last Thursday
Norfolk’s newest councillor has found himself in hot water just days after he was voted in after social media posts emerged in which he said Islam should be banned and Muslims deported.
James ‘Jimmi’ Lee, who was elected to represent Acle for Reform at a Broadland Council by-election last Thursday, is at the centre of a row over the messages on his X/Twitter account.
Officials at the authority said they were aware of concerns about the posts and that Mr Lee would be receiving training to ensure that from now on he would abide by its code of conduct.
Both Mr Lee and Reform UK have declined to comment but his X account and posts have been deleted since the EDP approached the councillor and the party.
Opponents on the council have described the messages as “racist and Islamophobic” and said they raised questions over Reform’s vetting of its candidates.
In April 2024, Mr Lee responded to a comment on X describing Islam as a “divisive, fundamentalist hate cult”. He said this was a “lovely and accurate post”.
In another post later that month, he replied to a set of images featuring politicians of black and Asian heritage, including Rishi Sunak and Sadiq Khan.
Mr Lee’s response said “we are being infiltrated to the very core of our heritage” and described them as “the enemy in waiting”.
Another post Mr Lee shared in the same month showed an image of a Muslim man being kicked and proclaimed “the only way to save Europe” was “mass deportation”. Mr Lee replied: “Said it for years.”
In June 2024, he replied to a post asking whether Islam should be “made illegal in the UK” and said: “Yes.”
His posts have been met with criticism from other members of Broadland Council, which is run by a rainbow coalition of the Lib Dems, Labour and Green Party members.
Natasha Harpley, leader of the Labour group, said: “I do wonder how many people would have voted for Mr Lee if they knew he had made Islamophobic and racist comments.
“These views are not representative of the majority of people in Broadland or the council as a whole.
“Reform has a history of not vetting its candidates and doesn’t seem to be bothered about doing its due diligence.”
Mr Lee, who is a grandfather, was born in Edinburgh and moved to Norfolk in 1977 to begin a career in the military.
Prior to his election, he proclaimed to “understand local life” and pledged to “proudly serve the community he cares so deeply about”.
The by-election was called following the resignation of Conservative Lana Hempsall, who had been district councillor in Acle since 2011.
The vote was thrown into chaos at the last minute after the Greens ditched their candidate at the eleventh hour due to “concerns” about his behaviour during his time as a Labour activist.
Mr Lee was elected with 322, a comfortable margin ahead of the Conservative’s Vincent Tapp, with 208, the Greens’ Peter Carter, with 200, Labour’s Emma Covington, with 186, and Lib Dem candidate Philip Matthew, who received 54 votes.
A spokesman for the council said: “After his election on Thursday, Mr Lee will now go through the introduction and training process of becoming a Councillor.
“Part of that process will include training in his responsibilities as a councillor and as with all councillors he will be expected to abide by Broadland District Council code of conduct.”
During a set of by-elections earlier this month, David Bick became Reform UK’s first Norfolk county councillor when he triumphed in the Thetford West division previously held by South West Norfolk MP Terry Jermy.
And a few hours later, former Conservative county councillor Julian Kirk, became the second, when he won the by-election he had triggered.
The party also secured its third member on Breckland Council after Michael Westman won the Thetford Priory ward from Labour.
However, Reform suffered a painful defeat in Norwich, where its candidate lost to Labour by just one vote.