Daniel Devaney #

Introduction #

Daniel Devaney is a Reform UK politician who was elected to Bradford Council on 7 May 2026 as one of two councillors for the Clayton and Fairweather Green ward, receiving 1,387 votes in an election that saw Reform take 29 of the 87 seats contested and end Labour’s control of the authority, though short of an overall majority. His candidacy was overshadowed before polling day by the resurfacing of old social media posts in which, the BBC reported, he had described Muslims as “pure scum” and said he would “blast [Muslims] off the face of the earth” — posts he apologised for and described as wrong. Within roughly a week of his election, the leader of Reform’s group on Bradford Council publicly declared that Devaney was “not a Reform councillor”, leaving his political future — independent or by-election — explicitly hanging on his own decision.

Background Information #

Devaney stood for Reform UK in the Clayton and Fairweather Green ward in Bradford’s May 2026 local elections, part of a breakthrough night for the party in the city: Reform’s 29 seats ended Labour’s long control of Bradford Council but left it just short of a majority. He went on to win the ward with the highest number of votes of the sixteen candidates who contested it. His election came against a wider backdrop that was already drawing scrutiny: a month on from the local elections, Reform had been forced into a series of apologies and suspensions over the past social media posts of newly elected councillors across Yorkshire, and questions were being raised about the effectiveness of the party’s vetting process — questions to which Devaney’s case became a central reference point. During the campaign, Reform leader Nigel Farage had insisted the party was now vetting candidates well, telling the BBC that anyone with “views based on dislikes or hate” was not welcome.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation #

The controversy centred on posts Devaney had previously made on social media about Muslims, which surfaced during the election campaign and which he apologised for before polling day. According to the BBC, these included a description of Muslims as “pure scum” and a statement that he would “blast [Muslims] off the face of the earth”. Devaney addressed the remarks directly in comments to the Bradford Telegraph and Argus, saying the comment “was wrong and said while I was in a bad mood and watching TV”, and adding: “They are not scum and that was a bad thing to say and I regret it.” He went further and told the newspaper he would not be standing after all: “I’m not standing now as a candidate for Clayton and Fairweather Green. There’s only 2 standing now”, and “I won’t be here for the elections - I will be on holiday and to tell you the truth I’m not really bothered.” Despite that stated withdrawal, his name remained on the ballot. On 7 May he received 1,387 votes and was elected as one of the ward’s two Reform councillors, a result that transformed a pre-election embarrassment into a full-blown post-election crisis for the party locally.

Public Reaction and Consequences #

The reaction within Reform was severe even as it stopped short, at first, of formal expulsion. On around 11 May 2026, five days before the BBC report, Devaney posted on Facebook to thank his supporters and said he would “do the best I can” in the role. But Stephen Place, the new leader of the Reform group on Bradford Council, told BBC Politics North that Devaney was “not a Reform councillor” and “must stand either as an independent or not stand at all - which will force a by election - it’s entirely up to him”. Place was emphatic about the posts themselves: “Words have consequences and I don’t condone his words at all - they’re horrific, he should never have put those out.” At the same time he offered a striking note of personal sympathy, saying Devaney had been “absolutely devastated” and had previously issued “heartfelt apologies”, adding: “His words were wrong but I have to have a bit of empathy for him for the fallout of this. It’s absolutely ruined him.” Beyond the party, the case fed a broader argument about vetting: the BBC’s political analysis noted there were calls in Bradford for Devaney to be investigated after the comments were found online, and quoted Liberal Democrat peer Lord Shaffaq Mohammed’s verdict that “clearly the vetting process isn’t working”.

Current Status #

Devaney’s exact position remained unresolved as of the most recent reporting. Despite Place’s declaration, he was still listed on the Bradford Council website as one of two Reform councillors for the Clayton and Fairweather Green ward — a listing Place said “needed updating”. The BBC approached Devaney for comment but he had yet to respond, and Bradford Council, also approached, had not replied either. The choice Place laid out remained open: stay on as an independent, resign and force a by-election, or some other resolution entirely — “it’s entirely up to him”, in Place’s words. In the party’s wider accounting of the election aftermath, his case sits among the examples cited in BBC analysis of Reform’s vetting failures, alongside suspended councillors in other Yorkshire authorities.

Impact on Their Career/Life #

Devaney’s political career has effectively been undone before it began. He won more votes than any of the sixteen candidates in his ward, yet within days of taking office he had been publicly disowned by the leader of his own council group, told in effect that he could not sit as a Reform councillor, and left to choose between an independent future and a by-election he would himself trigger by resigning. The personal toll, even as described by the politician leading the move against him, was stark: Place told the BBC the fallout had “absolutely ruined him”. More broadly, Devaney has become one of the named case studies in the national debate over how Reform UK screens its candidates — a man whose old posts slipped through the party’s vetting, whose apology did not prevent his election, and whose subsequent career now hangs on a decision that nobody but him can make.