A Reform councillor chairman has resigned after Islamophobic, anti-trans and far-right social media posts he shared before being elected were uncovered. Councillor Maurice Eglin stepped down as chair of North Northamptonshire Council yesterday after the tweets from his days as a ‘keyboard warrior’ were revealed this week.
The posts were made before he became a councillor last May and were made from an X account which he shut down shortly before being elected. They featured anti-Muslim posts, including the comment: ‘How about f*ck Islam the hate, evil Religion that would kill my kind!’ He also shared an image depicting a Muslim figure standing on top of a tower of skulls opposite a Christian figure on top of a pile of books.
In another, he defends Tommy Robinson saying he is ‘standing up for all of the British GB nationals’ and reposted a tweet from far-right Britain First leader Paul Golding. And in August 2024, he tweeted: ‘Please don’t tarnish all gay guys with the same brush as we don’t all agree with #LGBTQRIGHTS we hate where it has gone and is going. We believe in #LGBWithoutTheTQ and common sense.’
After the posts were uncovered by the NN Journal, Cllr Eglin stepped down as chairman but confirmed he would continue as a councillor in the Barton Seagrave and Burton Latimer ward. One political rival called the tweets ‘violently Islamophobic’, while others said he should be sacked by Reform.
Political reactions and calls for further action
Councillor Helen Harrison, leader of the opposition Conservative group, said: ‘It is clearly right, given the revelations about Cllr Eglin’s tweets, that he has resigned as chairman of the council and apologised. However, there are serious questions to be answered by Reform UK. Did any local Reform councillors know of Cllr Eglin’s social media comments? If they did, why on earth did they propose him last month to be chairman of the council? If they didn’t know of these posts, what does it say about their vetting processes for council candidates? Finally, can the leader of the council assure us that he has no other Reform councillors who have made unacceptable social media comments?’
The North Northants Green Group went further, calling for the electorate in his ward of Barton Seagrave and Burton Latimer to decide his future. Their spokesman said: ‘We are appalled to read the comments Cllr Eglin has made about both the Muslim and Trans communities. The comments made by Cllr Eglin are deeply un-British. It’s comments like these that stoke up hate and violence, like burning pride banners in Rushden or encouraging riots in Belfast. This kind of bigotry has no place in civic life. We are elected to represent all of our constituents, not just those we agree with. He has made the right decision to step down as chair of the council, but having undermined the trust placed in him, we believe it is right for the people of Burton and Barton to decide if he should continue to represent them.’
The authority’s Labour leaders called for Reform to take ‘further, appropriate action’ – remove the whip and stand down from his role as a councillor. In a statement, the Labour group said: ‘The offensive views expressed by Cllr Eglin in the historic tweets uncovered today are completely unacceptable and fall far below the standards that residents in North Northants have a right to expect from their councillors. This isn’t the first time that we’ve seen such behaviour from Reform NNC councillors and it raises serious questions about their vetting procedures, how these comments went unaddressed for so long and calls into serious question their judgement in putting Cllr Eglin forward as chairman of North Northamptonshire Council in the first place. These offensive tweets have no place in our society and we expect Reform to take further, appropriate action rather than brushing this under the carpet as they’ve done in the recent past when similar behaviour by their councillors has been uncovered and reported.’
Cllr Mark Pengelly, leader of the Labour Group at the council, said: ‘I believe the Reform leadership should remove the whip from Cllr Eglin and refer him to Standards for this to be fully investigated.’ Cllr David Baker, the Labour group deputy leader, added: ‘These historic tweets from Councillor Eglin are horrendous and I would hope that he will do the right thing and stand down from his role as a councillor.’
North Northamptonshire Liberal Democrats group said: ‘Cllr Maurice Eglin has resigned as chairman of North Northamptonshire Council and rightly so. We welcome the investigation exposing historic social media posts that were violently Islamophobic, shared content from the far-right group Britain First, and expressed anti-trans views. But stepping back from a ceremonial role isn’t enough. If these views make him unfit to be chairman, they make him unfit to represent the people of Barton Seagrave and Burton Latimer. The North Northamptonshire Liberal Democrats call on Cllr Eglin to resign as a councillor and on Reform UK to explain how he was selected, elected and handed senior civic office without any of this coming to light.’
Cllr Eglin's apology and resignation
In a statement, Cllr Eglin said: ‘I have today resigned as chairman of North Northamptonshire Council with immediate effect. This follows the emergence of social media posts that I shared before I was elected as a councillor and before I joined Reform UK. I have served King and Country and, over the years, developed some very strong views about the state of our nation. Looking back, I deeply regret some of the comments and content I shared online during that period. At the time, I was often guilty of being a keyboard warrior and posting things that I would not post today. My time as a councillor has taught me to think more critically before reacting, be more objective and look at the detail first. Since becoming an elected member, I have had the privilege of working with and for people from all walks of life, backgrounds, faiths and beliefs. Those experiences have broadened my perspective and challenged some of my assumptions. The language used in some of those posts was wrong and does not reflect the person I strive to be today. I would like to offer my sincere and unreserved apologies to anyone who has been hurt by those posts. If I could take them back, I would. For that reason, and in order to protect the office of the chairman, I have taken the decision to step down from the role with immediate effect. Serving as chairman has been a tremendous honour and I remain committed to serving the residents of North Northamptonshire as a councillor.’
Cllr Eglin’s resignation was accepted by council leader Councillor Martin Griffiths, who said language used in the tweets did not reflect ‘the standards expected of those holding senior civic positions’. Cllr Griffiths, leader of North Northamptonshire Council, said: ‘Cllr Maurice Eglin has informed the council that he has resigned as chairman of North Northamptonshire Council with immediate effect. This decision follows the emergence of social media posts made before Councillor Eglin was elected to public office. While these comments pre-date his time as a councillor, the language used does not reflect the standards expected of those holding senior civic positions. Following discussions with Councillor Eglin, it was agreed that stepping aside from the chairmanship was the right course of action to protect the integrity of the role and maintain public confidence in the council and office of chairman. North Northamptonshire is home to people from many different backgrounds, faiths and communities. As an administration, we are committed to building positive relationships across all parts of our community and ensuring that every resident feels respected and represented. Our focus remains on serving all residents of North Northamptonshire fairly, respectfully and without prejudice. We will continue working constructively with community groups, faith organisations and local residents to build a stronger and more united North Northamptonshire.’
