Durham County Council’s deputy leader has come under fire after appearing to offer media training for controversial candidates in an undercover investigation into Reform UK, writes Local Democracy Reporter, Joshua Nichol.
Councillor Darren Grimes was secretly filmed, as part of an ITV investigation, during a media training session involving Welsh councillor Karl Lewis who had previously shared controversial material online, including content concerning Muslim migrants.
In the footage, Cllr Grimes challenged Mr Lewis about controversial online posts, including sharing Tommy Robinson and Andrew Tate content, as part of preparations for facing questions from the media.
His involvement has prompted criticism from opposition politicians in County Durham, who have questioned Reform’s approach to dealing with controversial views held or expressed by its candidates.
However, the Annfield Plain and Tanfield councillor said the findings were the ‘worst’ thing he could be criticised for.
It comes after ITV’s year-long undercover investigation gained access to Reform’s Westminster headquarters and party events.
ITV reported that its investigation recorded a number of party figures and activists making racist or extreme remarks.
Among the findings, an aspiring Reform parliamentary candidate was recorded saying Muslims could not be British and calling for people arriving in the UK by small boats to be put in “concentration camps”.
Liberal Democrat councillor Amanda Hopgood, the former leader of Durham County Council, described the investigation as “deeply disturbing”.
She said: “The racist, extremist and offensive views exposed have no place in our politics, let alone among people seeking to represent our communities.
“But what should concern residents of County Durham even more is the involvement of Darren Grimes, Reform UK’s Deputy Leader of Durham County Council, in providing media training to candidates facing questions over controversial material they had shared.
“The question is simple: was Reform UK more concerned with challenging unacceptable views, or teaching candidates how to defend themselves when those views came under scrutiny?
“You cannot train away extremism with a few carefully rehearsed answers. You have to confront it.”
Labour MP Luke Akehurst also criticised Cllr Grimes, saying: “I’m astonished if Cllr Grimes is seen as a useful expert trainer for Reform candidates given his own output of inflammatory and offensive AI generated social media posts.”
But, Cllr Grimes said he would be lectured to by opposition parties.
“ITV skullduggery filmed me putting candidates through robust questioning about what they’d posted online,” he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
“Other parties seldom bother vetting their candidates at all. Perhaps it’s something they could learn from.
“I’m not going to be lectured on so-called inflammatory commentary by Labour and the Liberal Democrats.”
He said that Labour and the Liberal Democrats were: “The same parties who shrug their shoulders as County Durham becomes an illegal migrant dumping ground.
“And the same parties who jump to calling their opponents far right and extreme, when most residents in County Durham agree with us.
“If the worst they’ve got on me is a generated bit of illustrative imagery, I reckon I’m doing all right after 18 months in office.”
ITV also reported that two Reform councillors in west London discussed executing grooming gang offenders.
When asked about the investigation, Reform UK has previously said: “Where members, activists and councillors have clearly behaved inappropriately, investigations have commenced.
“In some cases, there have been suspensions and due process must be followed.
“Reform UK has improved and prioritised its vetting procedures, but from time to time, a handful of individuals who do not share our values will initially make it through vetting. This is the same for all organisations.”