Reform UK councillor exposed in racist dating site leak says he would ‘never have knowingly chosen to be a member’

Gavin Beales says he 'cannot recall the details' after he is exposed by a national newspaper as a former user of a white supremacist dating site.

Cllr Beales, seen here opening a playground recently, says he cannot recall the details.

The North Northamptonshire councillor exposed by a national newspaper as being on a leaked list of users of a white supremacist site says he would never ‘knowingly have chosen to be a member’.

Reform UK’s Gavin Beales, who was elected onto North Northamptonshire Council in May as the councillor for Brickhill and Queensway in Wellingborough and then won a by-election in November onto Wellingborough Town Council, was named by the Observer on Sunday as being a former user of the site.

The site, called WhiteDate, was shut down by a German hacker called Martha Root at a security conference last month and before she closed the site she downloaded a database of the site’s users.

Cllr Beales profile on the dating site was Gavernor, which matches his instagram account, which includes a profile photo of him.

NN Journal was unable to ask specific questions of Cllr Beales, but in a released statement he said:

“I am an introvert by nature and, like many people, have found it difficult at times to connect and form relationships. When I moved to Wellingborough from London over a decade ago, I didn’t know anyone locally and used mainstream dating sites in an attempt to meet a partner, like millions of others. I would still very much like to meet someone and hope one day to become a father.

“It appears that around seven years ago I may have inadvertently been linked to another site. If this occurred, it would have been for a very short period of time and without a paid subscription. Given the time that has passed, I cannot clearly recall the details. However, in light of what is now known about the nature of the site, I would never have knowingly chosen to be a member or to associate myself with it in any way.

“Throughout my life, living in different parts of the UK, I have met and worked alongside people of different ages, backgrounds, skin colours and religions. I abhor racism in all its forms. In my role as a councillor, I aim to help everyone to the best of my ability, without prejudice or discrimination.

“Since becoming involved in politics and working closely with local residents and fellow councillors, my confidence has grown significantly. I genuinely enjoy my role as a councillor, attending meetings, holding surgeries and representing people on ward and council matters. I am privileged to meet many wonderful people through this work.

“It saddens me that something so minor, from so long ago, can be presented in a way that distracts from the work I do for families and communities.”

The Observer, which had access to the leaked list, says Beales was only active on the site for a short time. The site, which was founded in 2017 described itself as a platform for ‘Europids seeking tribal love’ and had about 8,000 members. It also shared links to ‘pro-white’ films and Third Reich material.

The Conservative party has suspended a female councillor from Somerset who was on the site and is carrying out an investigation.

NN Journal has contacted Reform UK’s national media office to ask if an investigation is taking place.

Deputy leader of the Labour group on NNC, Cllr David Baker said:

“This allegation against Cllr Beales is very disturbing. Councillors are elected to represent every resident in their ward and if they hold views which prevent that, then it is of grave concern. Cllr Beales has questions to answer from the residents of Wellingborough and we would expect them to be answered by both him and Reform as a matter of urgency.”