Reform councillor accused of breaking electoral law

A Reform UK politician posted a "defamatory" social media message about a Conservative candidate in the run-up to last year's elections, a court has heard.

Prosecutors allege Cambridgeshire county councillor Andy Osborn, 74, broke electoral law when he was chairman of the North East Cambridgeshire Reform Party.

Westminster Magistrates' Court heard he posted on Facebook the message "Samantha Hoy worked in the care industry but allegedly was sacked for fraud no wonder Wisbech is in such a state. Reform UK will fix it", in April 2025.

Osborn, who denies a charge of making or publishing a false statement and is charged under the Representation of the People Act 1983, said his account was hacked.

The court heard the allegations stem from incidents in the build-up to the local elections which included a dispute between Reform UK campaigners, including Osborn, of March, who was alleged to have told the mayor of Wisbech, councillor Sidney Imafidon, who is a black man, to "speak English".

Police were called to the incident on 11 April, which is said to have happened at Wisbech market place, when questions were raised over whether Reform had a licence for a stall and if it was being used for political purposes, the court heard.

Imafidon asked them to move and the police were called.

Osborn, who has hearing problems, said he only asked Imafidon to "speak clearly".

Hoy, a councillor for Wisbech South, claimed that Osborn started an "argument unnecessarily" when she was with colleague Steve Tierney at a postal vote count on 25 April.

The message appeared online later that day.

Hoy, who works in the care industry and has never been sacked or faced fraud allegations, later responded online describing the claims as "an absolute lie and extremely defamatory and damaging".

Hoy reported the matter to the police and took screenshots of messages from the account in Osborn's name.

The court heard another of the messages said: "I have taken a lot of slander in reference to me being a racist, I have family who are black and I am proud of them."

Osborn stressed he did not write or publish the posts and his account was hacked, and suggested the culprit may have been a neighbour or an online troll.

He recalled that Hoy told him at the postal count "oh, you can hear now there is not a black man in the room".

He was "offended" by her comment but did not react, and told the court: "I am not a racist. I do not judge anybody by their skin colour."

Osborn said "there was not any form of aggression or shouting" and he only "touched" Tierney on the shoulder and did not "poke" him.

Osborn does not have relatives who are black, he told the trial.

Mia Gibson, defending Osborn, suggested that he "was not the author or maker" of any of the posts.

She told Hoy: "I'm going to suggest you have brought these proceedings against Mr Osborn to disparage him and his party."

Ms Hoy denied this, saying: "No, why would I put myself through this for that?"

The trial continues.

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