“I believe it”: New Reform UK Doncaster leader defends controversial social media posts
Howard Rimmer claimed the posts represented views “well known” to be held by his party.
The new leader of Reform UK Doncaster has said he has not done anything wrong after being criticised over controversial social media posts, stating he believes everything he shares.
Councillor Howard Rimmer was chosen to lead the City of Doncaster Council’s Reform UK group at the party’s AGM on May 18, 2026, replacing his Roman Ridge ward colleague, Cllr Craig Ward.
However, soon after Cllr Rimmer’s appointment, criticism mounted online over controversial posts on his Facebook page.
When asked directly about the contents of some of these posts, which remain on his public profile and include phrases such as “I do not accept Islam” and “I do not accept multiculturalism” and claimed that mass immigration “legal or illegal” is the “greatest surrender our country will ever endure”, Cllr Rimmer defended them.
He said: “I’m a Reformer and they are well known ideas that Reform carry… being immigration, illegal immigration.
“I haven’t put anything wrong. If I’ve posted anything, I believe it.”
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Other posts on the Roman Ridge councillor’s page include praise for Tommy Robinson, a far-right campaigner who Nigel Farage MP has repeatedly said is “not welcome” in Reform UK.
Mr Farage previously quit the UK Independence Party (UKIP) over its increasing alignment with Mr Robinson.
Cllr Rimmer’s Facebook page also included shared posts which claimed the UK is “importing low IQ people” and referenced “the Great Replacement”, a conspiracy theory that elites are seeking to replace the populations of western nations with immigrants.