Alex Clarke #

Introduction #

Alex Clarke is a British Reform UK politician who was elected to represent the Harton ward on South Tyneside Council in May 2026 and resigned from the council the following month, on 19 June 2026, after anti-extremist campaign group Hope Not Hate published sexist remarks he had made on his own podcast, “Clarke Out Loud”, alongside reports of alleged antisemitic comments about England footballer Djed Spence. Clarke publicly claimed his role had been “mis-sold” to him and that his remarks were jokes, but the council’s Labour leadership said he had resigned from Reform UK and then from the council after the comments were confronted.

Background Information #

Clarke ran a podcast called “Clarke Out Loud” under his own name, promising to “deliver unfiltered, controversial opinions that absolutely no one has asked for”. He was selected by Reform UK for the Harton ward and, according to the council leader, was vetted and selected “in the same way as each of the other 53 candidates which stood for Reform UK in South Tyneside”, putting himself forward for numerous committees in the process. He won the seat in the May 2026 local elections, part of Reform’s breakthrough intake on the authority. Clarke later said he had raised concerns with the party before the election that he did not have enough time for the role, claiming he was told he would “only have to attend six meetings per year”.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation #

On 18 June 2026, Hope Not Hate published findings that Clarke had made sexist comments on his podcast, including that “washing clothes is a woman’s job” and that “it’s scientifically proven that men are better drivers than women”, along with a profanity-laced routine about women drivers. The BBC reported that his resignation came after the Hope Not Hate website also reported he had allegedly made antisemitic comments about England footballer Djed Spence. Clarke denied being sexist or misogynist, telling Hope Not Hate: “there are things in this world called jokes!” After the publication, he says he attempted to resign several weeks before doing so officially — emailing someone he believed would process his departure, then being asked to stay on by Reform members — before his “official resignation” was submitted and confirmed by the council on Thursday 19 June 2026.

Public Reaction and Consequences #

Clarke lost his council seat within a month of winning it. South Tyneside Council leader Cllr Paul Mackings said Clarke had resigned from Reform UK and then as a councillor for Harton, condemning the remarks: “Alex Clarke’s comments are something which are categorically unwelcome in Reform UK, and I strongly condemn the words which he used on a podcast. They were no joking matter.” Mackings apologised to Harton constituents, saying “The people of Harton deserve better”, and announced the party would fight the ward with a new candidate. Clarke, for his part, insisted he was leaving because the job was “sold under false pretences”, saying he felt “immediately overwhelmed and trapped” by its demands, while a by-election was scheduled for the Harton ward at public expense, prompting local debate about the cost. His resignation was reported nationally as part of Reform’s post-election run of councillor scandals.

Current Status #

Clarke is no longer a councillor, having officially resigned from South Tyneside Council on 19 June 2026, and he has resigned from Reform UK. The antisemitic-comments allegation, like the sexist remarks, remains something he characterises as comedy rather than sincere statement; no legal proceedings have been reported. A by-election was set for the Harton ward, and a July 2026 report confirmed the new ballot after Clarke “stood down last month when his reported comments were exposed by anti-extremist campaign group Hope not Hate”.

Impact on Their Career/Life #

Clarke’s elected career lasted barely five weeks, ended not by the voters but by the resurfacing of what he insists were jokes on a podcast he had hosted in his own name. His account of being “mis-sold” a part-time role, contradicted by the council leader’s statement that he had volunteered for committees, left him with little political support either way, and the triggered by-election cost became a local story in its own right. His case entered the growing ledger of Reform UK’s 2026 vetting failures — cited alongside the party’s other short-lived councillors — as evidence that the fastest-growing party in local government was fielding candidates whose public records had not been checked.