Reform UK face questions after ‘Holocaust is a hoax’ candidate elected
Jay Leslie Cooper has won a seat in the Bootle West ward of Sefton council, Merseyside. The party previously said it was 'looking into the allegations' against him
A Reform UK candidate who described the Holocaust as a “hoax” and “propaganda” has won a council seat in Merseyside, raising serious questions as to whether the party, which previously said it was “looking into the allegations”, would be expelling him.
Jay Leslie Cooper, who won a seat in the Bootle West ward of Sefton council, was previously revealed by the Liverpool Echo to have said on Facebook last year about Adolf Hitler that “I don’t agree with him murdering innocent people. But the Hallocaust [sic] is a hoax. There wasn’t [sic] even 6 million Jews in Europe at the time. Propaganda.”
Previously Cooper shared video content on social media promoting conspiracy theories about the 9/11 attack, as well as describing the July 2024 Southport terror attack as “three young girls in Southport slaughtered by the hands of Labour.”
Two weeks ago the Echo approached Reform UK for comment, and was told that the party was “looking into the allegations”. At the time, representatives from Labour told the Liverpool paper that “It’s an insult to the people of Sefton that Farage and Reform put people like this forward to stand in the first place and a total dereliction of duty that he hasn’t condemned them nor pulled his support from them.
“These extreme council candidates pose a real risk to communities like Sefton.”
Disturbingly, despite the revelations Cooper was in fact the only Reform UK candidate elected in the ward, outpacing two other candidates from the party, as well as one from Labour, to win the third seat in the area.
Jewish News has contacted Reform UK for comment.
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