Paul Cutts #

Introduction #

Paul Cutts is a Reform UK councillor who represents the Wheatley Hills and Intake ward on City of Doncaster Council. In January 2026, less than a year after his election, he was suspended by the party pending an investigation into Facebook posts criticising Islam that had been shared on his Facebook page — posts the BBC’s Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) reported were created by other users and shared on his profile. Cutts sat as an independent councillor while the investigation ran, and the party concluded it within weeks: in February 2026, Reform UK confirmed his whip would be restored, saying he had acknowledged mistakes were made and taken steps to address the concerns raised. The episode was an internal party disciplinary matter, with no legal process involved, and it closed with Cutts readmitted to the Reform group after a visit to a Doncaster mosque that he described as “extremely enlightening”.

Background Information #

Cutts was elected to City of Doncaster Council in May 2025 as the Reform UK councillor for Wheatley Hills and Intake, a ward that falls within the Doncaster Central parliamentary constituency of Labour’s Sally Jameson. Beyond his ward and party affiliation, little about Cutts’ personal or professional background was reported in the coverage; the public record of his political life before January 2026 is essentially limited to his role as a newly elected ward councillor. The Facebook posts at the centre of the case were shared on his profile after his election, according to the BBC, and were subsequently deleted.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation #

The controversy centred not on anything Cutts wrote himself, but on material he had shared. According to the LDRS, the posts shared on his Facebook page — created by other users and shared on his profile — included three which targeted the Muslim faith in a derogatory way, with a fourth criticising niqab face veils. The reports noted that Cutts had added disclaimers to other posts shared on his profile, expressing that they were reposted “for information” and were not his views. The distinction shaped how the case was reported: the BBC was explicit throughout that the posts were created by other users, even as the party examined their presence on a representative’s page. A Reform UK Doncaster spokesperson said the matter would be examined “fully and fairly”; Cutts did not respond to a request for comment from the LDRS. The party announced: “In light of these concerns, councillor Paul Cutts has been suspended from the Reform UK group pending a formal investigation. This suspension allows the matter to be examined fully and fairly.”

Public Reaction and Consequences #

The immediate consequence was political rather than legal: Cutts lost the Reform UK whip and began sitting as an independent councillor while the investigation was carried out. No police involvement was reported; the case remained an internal party disciplinary matter. Labour’s Sally Jameson MP, whose constituency includes Cutts’ ward, said she was “appalled by the posts”, adding: “Wheatley, Wheatley Hills and Intake residents deserve better from their elected representatives.” The Reform UK Doncaster spokesperson said: “Reform UK does not support or condone content that targets or disparages individuals or communities on the basis of race or religion,” and that “such content is not consistent with the standards expected of Reform UK representatives.” Beyond those statements, the suspension itself was the only concrete consequence reported — Cutts kept his council seat and continued representing his ward as an independent.

Current Status #

The investigation has closed and Cutts is back in the Reform UK group. In mid-February 2026, Reform UK confirmed that the investigation into Cutts had closed and that he would have the whip restored on February 23. A party spokesperson said: “Paul has acknowledged mistakes were made and has taken steps to address the concerns raised,” adding: “We now look forward to welcoming him back into the Reform UK group later this month and continuing to focus on delivering for residents across Doncaster.” Reform UK said that while standards for elected representatives must be upheld, the party also believes in allowing individuals to learn from events and move forward positively. A notable part of the arc came during the suspension itself: Cutts received praise from residents after visiting the Jamia Masjid Sultania Mosque in Doncaster, which he described as an “informative” and “extremely enlightening” session. He said the mosque was “a truly beautiful building and extremely impressive”, and that “since my visit, I realise even more now what a thoughtless action it was to share the social media posts I did.” He was pictured during the visit alongside councillor Majid Chaudhary, councillor Karl Hughes and Imam Habeeb Minhas.

Impact on Their Career/Life #

By the standards of cancellation cases, Cutts’ lasted weeks rather than months. He spent just over five weeks sitting as an independent, the posts in question were deleted, and — in the party’s words — he acknowledged that “mistakes were made” before the whip was restored on 23 February 2026. His ward representation continued uninterrupted throughout, since the suspension cost him the party whip but not his council seat. The episode nonetheless remains part of his public record: he was named in national coverage of derogatory posts about the Muslim faith shared on his page, and his route back ran through a public reckoning — the mosque visit, his acknowledgement that sharing the posts had been “a thoughtless action”, and a party that said it believes in allowing individuals to “learn from events and move forward positively”. Whether the affair has any lasting effect on his standing in Wheatley Hills and Intake is something the coverage did not address.