Reform UK is facing pressure to sever ties with a candidate in West London following the emergence of several Islamophobic and ableist posts on his social media accounts, including a disturbing message that appeared to advocate for a mass shooting of Muslims.
The Hillingdon Conservatives have urged the party to withdraw its support for Howard Raymond Dini, who is running for a seat in the Ickenham and South Harefield ward for Hillingdon Council in the upcoming election on May 7.
Mr. Dini’s social media activity includes a range of offensive posts and comments shared on platforms such as Facebook and Threads. Notably, he reshared a post from another user that proclaimed, „I’m a proud ISLAMAPHOBE.“ Additionally, a comment from his account expressed a desire to celebrate the death of Palestinians, stating, „when every f*****g Palestinian is dead.“ In a particularly alarming post from December 2025, Mr. Dini wrote, „It is time to return the gun fire when the Islamists gather on their festival we should go and shoot them and as many as possible it is called an eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth.“
When approached by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) regarding these posts, Mr. Dini responded, „You must be one of the few that enjoy our country being invaded and with no go areas.“
Controversial Comments and Reactions
In addition to his inflammatory remarks about Muslims, Mr. Dini made two separate comments on his Threads account in February and March of this year that included the ableist term „re**rd.“ One of these comments also told the recipient to „f*** off and die.“
On February 16, he referred to someone as a „Hamas gay boy“ in another post. Earlier, on January 15, his Facebook account shared a post from another user that stated, „I’m a proud ISLAMAPHOBE. I hate…. Pedophilia, rape, wife-beating, slavery, homophobia, misogyny, violence against women and children, killing apostates, funding terror groups, sharia courts, terror attacks.“
When asked by the LDRS if he stands by these posts, Mr. Dini replied, „So you are a hunter with nothing better to do with your time. You must be one of the few that enjoy our country being invaded and with no go areas. You can threaten me as much as you like almost verging on blackmail but all you will achieve is driving voters in my direction. Thanks for the publicity and by the way everyone is entitled to an opinion even you.“
Party’s Response and Political Implications
In response to inquiries from the LDRS about whether the party endorses such views and the extent of Mr. Dini’s vetting, a spokesperson for Reform UK stated, „The party is looking into these allegations.“
Reacting to the situation, a spokesperson for Hillingdon Conservatives remarked, „These allegations against Mr. Dini are extremely serious and raise further concerns about Hillingdon Reform’s approach to selecting candidates. It is deeply troubling that they continue to support individuals facing such accusations, alongside others previously exposed for dishonest behaviour towards residents. Any other political party in Hillingdon would, by now, have suspended the individual pending investigation; there is a clear expectation that those seeking public office meet the highest standards. Reform must immediately suspend Mr. Dini’s party membership and remove their support for him in this election.“
Labour MP Danny Beales, representing Uxbridge and South Ruislip, condemned Mr. Dini’s comments as „disgusting.“ He stated, „Not only are Mr. Dini’s [apparent] comments horrifically racist—they are also violent in nature. Reform must withdraw all support from him as a candidate immediately. This shows exactly why Reform cannot be allowed to get anywhere close to running Hillingdon Council. This sort of abuse is at complete odds with who we are as a community, and as residents we will come together to completely reject the politics of division and hate.“
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Bildquelle: Foto von JUNHYUNG PARK auf Unsplash
