Dave Rowan #

Introduction #

Dave Rowan is a Reform UK councillor on Kirklees Council in West Yorkshire who was suspended by the party in August 2026, barely three months after being elected, over non-recent social media posts that resurfaced under scrutiny from the campaign group HOPE not hate. Rowan won the Colne Valley West ward from Labour in May 2026, but his tenure was upended when an investigation by HOPE not hate surfaced posts from 2019 on an X account seemingly belonging to him. Among them was one that appeared to say “Hang the Dwarf” in relation to John Bercow, then Speaker of the House of Commons, alongside statements the BBC characterized as homophobic and Islamophobic. Reform UK confirmed he had been suspended pending investigation, and he remains a Kirklees councillor while sitting outside the Reform group.

Background Information #

Rowan, referred to in some coverage by his full name David Rowan, was elected to Kirklees Council in May 2026, taking the Colne Valley West ward from Labour. His win came in a breakthrough local election cycle for his party: Reform UK took 29 seats in May’s local elections and became the largest party on Kirklees Council. The posts that triggered his suspension dated from 2019, years before he stood for office — the BBC noted that at the time he appeared to write them, Rowan was not yet a councillor. Beyond his ward and election, little else about Rowan’s personal or professional background was reported in the coverage; the public record of his life before the controversy is essentially limited to his role as a first-term councillor for Colne Valley West.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation #

The controversy began when HOPE not hate published the findings of an investigation into a social media account on X that it said seemed to belong to Rowan. In October 2019, according to the Telegraph & Argus, a post on that account called for John Bercow — then Speaker of the House of Commons — to be hanged; in response to a post about Bercow, the account holder wrote: “Hang the Dwarf.” The BBC reported that in a 2019 post on X, Rowan appeared to write “Hang the Dwarf” in relation to a post about Bercow, and published a screenshot of the post credited to HOPE not hate.

The account also appeared to carry other objectionable material from the same year. The BBC reported that in 2019, before he was a councillor, Rowan appeared to post homophobic and Islamophobic statements. In one post on X, Rowan appeared to write: “As a parent not at school.. I don’t beleive gays should have kids full stop..” A separate message said: “Too many muslims mi thinks.. Make sure you take a marker pen Good luck.” All of the flagged posts were non-recent, dating from 2019 — the cancellation event itself was the party’s August 2026 response to them, not any fresh conduct in office.

Public Reaction and Consequences #

The institutional response came quickly once the posts were flagged. A Reform UK spokesperson said in a statement: “Cllr Rowan has been suspended from Reform UK pending investigation.” A spokesperson for Kirklees Council confirmed the practical effect: “We are aware that Cllr Rowan is currently suspended from the Reform UK group but remains a Kirklees councillor.” The BBC reported that Rowan had been approached for comment.

HOPE not hate used the case to press a wider argument about Reform UK’s candidate screening. A spokesperson for the group said it was correct that Rowan had been suspended following its investigation, but that he “should have never been allowed to stand for office in the first place,” adding: “Reform has a systematic problem with their vetting.” The group said Reform had “repeatedly claimed that they have the best vetting in the country,” but that “time and again we see that it’s not just a few bad apples.”

The suspension also landed on a council group already reduced by departures. Two Reform councillors had left the party earlier in the year — Susan Maxfield moved to stand as an Independent on July 3, and Craig Wiles stepped down entirely from his post due to health issues on June 26. The Telegraph & Argus noted that since the local council elections, numerous Reform UK councillors across the country had been embroiled in controversy over historic social media comments. When the paper checked Rowan’s X account on the morning of August 14, it was still active and many of the posts flagged by HOPE not hate remained available to view.

Current Status #

Rowan remains suspended from Reform UK pending the outcome of the party’s investigation, and as of the most recent reports that inquiry had not concluded. He has not been expelled, and he continues to hold his seat on Kirklees Council, though no longer as part of the Reform group he was elected with. This is an internal party disciplinary matter rather than a legal process — no police involvement or court action was reported in connection with the posts. The BBC noted that Rowan had been approached for comment, and no public response from him appeared in the coverage.

Impact on Their Career/Life #

The consequences for Rowan’s political career were immediate. Elected in May 2026, he was suspended just three months into his first term, forced to sit apart from the party group whose May sweep had made Reform the largest force on Kirklees Council. His brief tenure became part of a wider pattern the Telegraph & Argus identified of Reform councillors nationally drawn into controversies over historic social media posts, and his case was deployed by HOPE not hate as evidence in its critique of the party’s vetting. The posts themselves remained visible on his X account days after the suspension was announced. What happens next — reinstatement, expulsion, or a prolonged investigation — depends entirely on his party’s internal process, which had not resolved as of the latest reports.