Ahead of the local elections, Reform UK has urged Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch to suspend two candidates

The Conservative Party has been urged to cut ties with two candidates standing for election in Gosport over historic social media posts.

Reform UK has said it was “staggering” the pair, who are vying for election to Gosport Borough Council, were allowed to stand by the party.

George McAleese, who is standing for election in Brockhurst and Privett ward, resigned from the Gosport Conservative Association in 2022 after he was accused of making racist remarks during an exchange on Facebook.

Gary Walker, who is vying for a seat in Harbourside and Town, was “spoken to” in 2017 after a post suggesting mosques should be bulldozed was shared on his account.

Ahead of the local elections on May 7, Reform UK has urged Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch to suspend both candidates.

A Reform spokesman said: “The fact that the Conservatives were aware of these candidates’ social media histories but still allowed them to stand is staggering.

“The Tories have serious questions to answer about their vetting procedures, especially considering they have suspended more candidates than anyone else.

“Kemi Badenoch should do the right thing and suspend these two candidates immediately.”

Neither candidate responded to a request for a comment from the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) which writes council stories for local media, including The News. Mr McAleese shared the outcome of the panel meeting on his conduct in late 2022.

The panel found that Mr McAleese had posted inflammatory and racist comments on social media, breaching the party’s code of conduct, the report said. It added that he admitted the making posts, apologised, and “had already resigned from his party roles”.

The panel upheld the complaint and issued a formal rebuke, concluding that his actions brought the party into disrepute.

The report said Mr McAleese described his own actions as a “moment of madness”. He resigned from the Gosport Conservative Association (GCA) after this incident but is currently listed as the president of the association.

Mr Walker was reprimanded in 2017 after he shared a post on his Facebook feed, which suggested that “all Western countries should bulldoze one mosque”.

As reported by the The News in Portsmouth at the time, Mr McAleese said he would have a “quiet word” with Mr Walker. He also said he did not support that view “at all”.

Ahead of the local elections, Stephen Philpott, leader of the Conservative opposition group on Gosport Borough Council, told the LDRS that decisions on internal party discipline are matters for the Conservative Association and the party.

However, he emphasised that he does “not associate with the views expressed”.

Mr Philpott said: “I am told that one of the men apologised at the time for comments that he admitted were foolish, and the other inadvertently pressed the ‘share’ button in error while scrolling the internet nine years ago.

“The Conservative Party is an inclusive party based on meritocracy where race, colour, gender, etc., have no bearing on policy.”

Tory leader Ms Badenoch was asked about the posts during a visit to Gosport on May 1, to which she replied she “does not have the background on that” to comment.

Brockhurst and Privett ward candidates: