A Reform councillor in Wigan is under investigation by his own party after social media posts resurfaced that appear to show him calling for former politicians to be shot. Councillor Adrian White, who represents Tyldesley and Mosley, allegedly shared posts supporting far-right extremist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson, and peddled conspiracy theories about Covid-19 and climate change.
Posts uncovered by Hope Not Hate
Campaign group Hope Not Hate claims to have uncovered several posts between 2019 and 2025 that they have described as awful and bizarre. The posts are publicly visible on a personal Facebook profile, where White has also shared his councillor details and recent commentary on Andy Burnham.
One 2018 post features an image of former Conservative cabinet member and House of Lords member Michael Heseltine, with the caption: “Lord Haw Haw… Shoot him and his fellow parasites! Fill yer pockets… Dirty money!” In 2019, when calls were being made for then Prime Minister Theresa May to resign, another post reads: “Champagne back on ice again… can’t we just shoot her… please.”
References to execution and far-right support
On the day May announced her resignation, the account published a lengthy critique of her premiership and added: “Lord Haw Haw was hanged for treason, she has got off lightly. There are not enough words in the English dictionary to fully explain how much I detest this woman.” Lord Haw Haw was a nickname given to British Nazi propagandist William Joyce, who was executed for high treason after the Second World War.
Other posts appear to outline support for Tommy Robinson, the anti-Muslim far-right activist with several assault, public order, and stalking convictions. White’s account appears to share images of his first Robinson rally and calls for people to spread his message and support him.
Conspiracy theories and party response
Between 2020 and 2025, the account also appears to have shared several conspiracy theories, including that Covid-19 was an experiment to evaluate if people were that easy to control, that climate change is a big money-grabbing scam, and that media and government were colluding to make white people believe they are all racists just by being born white.
Councillor White and the leader of the Wigan Reform group did not respond to a request for comment. However, the party’s national HQ told the Local Democracy Reporting Service they would look into the councillor’s posts. A spokesperson said: “The party has launched an investigation into Cllr White's social media activity.”
Condemnation from Hope Not Hate
The posts have been condemned by Hope Not Hate researcher Paul Kershaw, who demanded an explanation for why hate, bigotry and conspiracy theory seem to be commonplace in Reform. Mr Kershaw said: “Not only has Adrian White expressed support for the serial criminal Tommy Robinson and peddled bizarre conspiracy theories online, but he’s also made awful comments about shooting two prominent Conservative politicians. Reform must immediately expel him from the party.”
