Deputy leader of party of British politician who called for Nigerians to be melted to fill potholes refuses to condemn the comment.

Richard Tice, the deputy leader of the UK’s Reform Party, has come under criticism after refusing to directly condemn racist comments made by newly elected Sunderland councillor Glenn Gibbins.

Gibbins had reportedly posted on social media in 2024 complaining about the “amount of Nigerians in town” and wrote that they should be “melted down and fill in the pot holes.” The comments resurfaced after he won a council seat in recent local elections. 

During an appearance on the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg, Tice avoided directly condemning the remarks. Instead, he said Reform UK had “internal party processes” for dealing with inappropriate behavior and accused critics of “smearing” the party following its election gains. 

The response sparked backlash from political opponents and anti-racism groups, who accused Reform UK of failing to clearly reject racist language. Labour described the comments as “utterly grotesque” and criticized the party leadership for not immediately distancing itself from Gibbins. 

Later reports indicated that Gibbins was suspended by Reform UK after wider public outrage over the resurfaced posts.