{"id":806220,"date":"2026-10-18T04:04:11","date_gmt":"2026-10-18T04:04:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/806220\/"},"modified":"2026-10-18T04:04:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-18T04:04:11","slug":"exclusive-reform-mayor-under-police-investigation-for-al","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/806220\/","title":{"rendered":"Exclusive: Reform mayor under police investigation for al&#8230;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p role=\"text\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"is_Paragraph font_caslonIonic _dsp-inline _bxs-border-box _ww-break-word _mt-0px _mr-0px _mb-0px _ml-0px _ff-f-family _fw-f-weight-3048 _fs-f-size-18 _lh-f-lineHeigh3500605 _col-grey_600 _select-auto _ws-normal drop-cap-paragraph\">A Reform UK mayor is under police investigation for allegedly showing naked pictures of himself to a female member of staff.<\/p>\n<p role=\"text\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"is_Paragraph font_caslonIonic _dsp-inline _bxs-border-box _ww-break-word _mt-0px _mr-0px _mb-0px _ml-0px _ff-f-family _fw-f-weight-3048 _fs-f-size-18 _lh-f-lineHeigh3500605 _col-grey_600 _select-auto _ws-normal\">Luke Campbell, 39, the mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire and an <a role=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/sport\/2012\/aug\/11\/london-2012-olympics-luke-campbell\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"is_Anchor font_caslonIonic _dsp-inline _bxs-border-box _ww-break-word _ws-pre-wrap _mt-0px _mr-0px _mb-0px _ml-0px _cur-pointer _ff-f-family _fw-f-weight-18 _fs-f-size-18 _lh-inherit _col-orange_600 _textDecorationColor-orange_600 _td-underline _textDecorationStyle-solid\" style=\"font-weight:var(--f-weight-300)\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Olympic gold medallist boxer<\/a>, is alleged to have shown a senior female officer four fully \u201cnaked and sexualised images\u201d of himself.<\/p>\n<p role=\"text\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"is_Paragraph font_caslonIonic _dsp-inline _bxs-border-box _ww-break-word _mt-0px _mr-0px _mb-0px _ml-0px _ff-f-family _fw-f-weight-3048 _fs-f-size-18 _lh-f-lineHeigh3500605 _col-grey_600 _select-auto _ws-normal\">The woman claims she was forced out of her job shortly after the alleged cyberflashing incident took place in May, according to documents seen by The Observer.<\/p>\n<p role=\"text\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"is_Paragraph font_caslonIonic _dsp-inline _bxs-border-box _ww-break-word _mt-0px _mr-0px _mb-0px _ml-0px _ff-f-family _fw-f-weight-3048 _fs-f-size-18 _lh-f-lineHeigh3500605 _col-grey_600 _select-auto _ws-normal\">It is the <a role=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/observer.co.uk\/news\/politics\/article\/six-explosive-reform-claims-fact-checked\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"is_Anchor font_caslonIonic _dsp-inline _bxs-border-box _ww-break-word _ws-pre-wrap _mt-0px _mr-0px _mb-0px _ml-0px _cur-pointer _ff-f-family _fw-f-weight-18 _fs-f-size-18 _lh-inherit _col-orange_600 _textDecorationColor-orange_600 _td-underline _textDecorationStyle-solid\" style=\"font-weight:var(--f-weight-300)\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">latest scandal<\/a> to hit Reform in recent months, and comes after a year-long undercover investigation by ITV captured several of the party\u2019s councillors and candidates using racist and sexist language, and raises questions about its handling of local government roles.<\/p>\n<p role=\"text\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"is_Paragraph font_caslonIonic _dsp-inline _bxs-border-box _ww-break-word _mt-0px _mr-0px _mb-0px _ml-0px _ff-f-family _fw-f-weight-3048 _fs-f-size-18 _lh-f-lineHeigh3500605 _col-grey_600 _select-auto _ws-normal\">Written evidence detailing the alleged incident describes how Campbell allegedly called the woman over to his desk inside an office in central Hull and showed her the images on his computer.<\/p>\n<p role=\"text\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"is_Paragraph font_caslonIonic _dsp-inline _bxs-border-box _ww-break-word _mt-0px _mr-0px _mb-0px _ml-0px _ff-f-family _fw-f-weight-3048 _fs-f-size-18 _lh-f-lineHeigh3500605 _col-grey_600 _select-auto _ws-normal\">The woman was left feeling \u201cshocked, embarrassed and humiliated\u201d after the mayor and male colleagues laughed at her reaction, according to the documents.<\/p>\n<p role=\"text\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"is_Paragraph font_caslonIonic _dsp-inline _bxs-border-box _ww-break-word _mt-0px _mr-0px _mb-0px _ml-0px _ff-f-family _fw-f-weight-3048 _fs-f-size-18 _lh-f-lineHeigh3500605 _col-grey_600 _select-auto _ws-normal\">\u201cI was deliberately exposed to naked and sexualised images involving the mayor in the workplace, without my consent, and was laughed at when I was visibly embarrassed,\u201d the female officer alleges in one report. \u201cIn my view, this was unwanted conduct of a sexual nature which violated my dignity and created a humiliating, degrading and offensive working environment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p role=\"text\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"is_Paragraph font_caslonIonic _dsp-inline _bxs-border-box _ww-break-word _mt-0px _mr-0px _mb-0px _ml-0px _ff-f-family _fw-f-weight-3048 _fs-f-size-18 _lh-f-lineHeigh3500605 _col-grey_600 _select-auto _ws-normal\">It is understood that Campbell, a former bantamweight boxer who won gold at the 2012 London Olympics and was subsequently awarded an MBE for services to the sport, was interviewed under caution by Humberside police earlier this month. No charges or arrests have been made.<\/p>\n<p role=\"text\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"is_Paragraph font_caslonIonic _dsp-inline _bxs-border-box _ww-break-word _mt-0px _mr-0px _mb-0px _ml-0px _ff-f-family _fw-f-weight-3048 _fs-f-size-18 _lh-f-lineHeigh3500605 _col-grey_600 _select-auto _ws-normal\">Campbell, who took part in the TV show Dancing on Ice in 2013, is considered a rising star in Reform and helped secure a landmark victory for the party in the May 2025 mayoral elections. He had previously said he was not interested in politics and claimed he became a Reform candidate only at the \u201clast minute\u201d.<\/p>\n<p role=\"text\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"is_Paragraph font_caslonIonic _dsp-inline _bxs-border-box _ww-break-word _mt-0px _mr-0px _mb-0px _ml-0px _ff-f-family _fw-f-weight-3048 _fs-f-size-18 _lh-f-lineHeigh3500605 _col-grey_600 _select-auto _ws-normal\">He was invited to meet Nigel Farage in London shortly after announcing his candidacy, and the party leader posed in boxing gloves alongside Campbell on the campaign trail.<\/p>\n<p role=\"text\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"is_Paragraph font_caslonIonic _dsp-inline _bxs-border-box _ww-break-word _mt-0px _mr-0px _mb-0px _ml-0px _ff-f-family _fw-f-weight-3048 _fs-f-size-18 _lh-f-lineHeigh3500605 _col-grey_600 _select-auto _ws-normal\">Farage later headlined a rally at Hull\u2019s Connexin Live arena at the start of this spring\u2019s local election campaign as part of Reform\u2019s attempt to win control of the city council, which, he said, would \u201cmake Luke\u2019s life easier\u201d. Farage told local media he rated Campbell \u201ca good eight\u201d out of 10.<\/p>\n<p role=\"text\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"is_Paragraph font_caslonIonic _dsp-inline _bxs-border-box _ww-break-word _mt-0px _mr-0px _mb-0px _ml-0px _ff-f-family _fw-f-weight-3048 _fs-f-size-18 _lh-f-lineHeigh3500605 _col-grey_600 _select-auto _ws-normal\">May\u2019s election saw Reform gain 10 councillors, with the Liberal Democrats losing two seats, resulting in no overall control.<\/p>\n<p role=\"text\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"is_Paragraph font_caslonIonic _dsp-inline _bxs-border-box _ww-break-word _mt-0px _mr-0px _mb-0px _ml-0px _ff-f-family _fw-f-weight-3048 _fs-f-size-18 _lh-f-lineHeigh3500605 _col-grey_600 _select-auto _ws-normal\">However, Campbell\u2019s tenure has not been without controversies. In August 2025, the Telegraph reported that staff were in revolt over a \u201ctoxic working environment\u201d at the newly created Hull and East Yorkshire Combined Authority (Heyca), resulting in him asking five senior staff to resign after a series of conflicts.<\/p>\n<p role=\"text\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"is_Paragraph font_caslonIonic _dsp-inline _bxs-border-box _ww-break-word _mt-0px _mr-0px _mb-0px _ml-0px _ff-f-family _fw-f-weight-3048 _fs-f-size-18 _lh-f-lineHeigh3500605 _col-grey_600 _select-auto _ws-normal\">But this latest set of revelations suggests it is not solely a question of political priorities that is leading to concerns among Heyca staff.<\/p>\n<p role=\"text\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"is_Paragraph font_caslonIonic _dsp-inline _bxs-border-box _ww-break-word _mt-0px _mr-0px _mb-0px _ml-0px _ff-f-family _fw-f-weight-3048 _fs-f-size-18 _lh-f-lineHeigh3500605 _col-grey_600 _select-auto _ws-normal\">In a second document, a witness confirmed that they saw Campbell and two male colleagues ushering a female officer to look at his laptop, which showed an image of a naked man with a tattoo, and that the incident left the witness feeling \u201cuneasy\u201d.<\/p>\n<p role=\"text\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"is_Paragraph font_caslonIonic _dsp-inline _bxs-border-box _ww-break-word _mt-0px _mr-0px _mb-0px _ml-0px _ff-f-family _fw-f-weight-3048 _fs-f-size-18 _lh-f-lineHeigh3500605 _col-grey_600 _select-auto _ws-normal\">The witness detailed a number of other alleged incidents, including Campbell lowering the waistband of his trousers to show a tan line and revealing a tattoo on his lower abdomen.<\/p>\n<p role=\"text\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"is_Paragraph font_caslonIonic _dsp-inline _bxs-border-box _ww-break-word _mt-0px _mr-0px _mb-0px _ml-0px _ff-f-family _fw-f-weight-3048 _fs-f-size-18 _lh-f-lineHeigh3500605 _col-grey_600 _select-auto _ws-normal\">About three weeks after the alleged cyberflashing incident, the female officer, who at the time was working as a contractor but had accepted the offer of a permanent role, was told via an eight-minute Teams call that the offer had been withdrawn.<\/p>\n<p role=\"text\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"is_Paragraph font_caslonIonic _dsp-inline _bxs-border-box _ww-break-word _mt-0px _mr-0px _mb-0px _ml-0px _ff-f-family _fw-f-weight-3048 _fs-f-size-18 _lh-f-lineHeigh3500605 _col-grey_600 _select-auto _ws-normal\">Further documents, submitted as part of a complaint lodged at an employment tribunal, assert that she lost the position because of her \u201crejection of unwanted sexual conduct\u201d.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" fetchpriority=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/WEB_GettyImages-1294383457_6efb2a4f4227f885ec2ed38ce879f0060a3f5751.jpg\" alt=\"\"   style=\"width:100%;height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:left top\"\/><\/p>\n<p role=\"text\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"is_Paragraph font_caslonIonic _dsp-inline _bxs-border-box _ww-break-word _mt-0px _mr-0px _mb-0px _ml-0px _ff-f-family _fw-f-weight-3048 _fs-f-size-18 _lh-f-lineHeigh3500605 _col-grey_600 _select-auto _ws-normal\">Although the matter is now the subject of an internal grievance procedure at Heyca, concerns have been raised as to how independent that process will be, amid accusations that individuals named within the complaint had received witness disclosures, and questions over whether the authority is appropriately protecting witnesses during the process.<\/p>\n<p role=\"text\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"is_Paragraph font_caslonIonic _dsp-inline _bxs-border-box _ww-break-word _mt-0px _mr-0px _mb-0px _ml-0px _ff-f-family _fw-f-weight-3048 _fs-f-size-18 _lh-f-lineHeigh3500605 _col-grey_600 _select-auto _ws-normal\">A spokesman for Heyca confirmed that the police investigation was under way.<\/p>\n<p role=\"text\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"is_Paragraph font_caslonIonic _dsp-inline _bxs-border-box _ww-break-word _mt-0px _mr-0px _mb-0px _ml-0px _ff-f-family _fw-f-weight-3048 _fs-f-size-18 _lh-f-lineHeigh3500605 _col-grey_600 _select-auto _ws-normal\">He said: \u201cAs with all public authorities, the combined authority has a standards process that can be engaged to deal with complaints about members and a complaints procedure that can be used to deal with complaints about officers. The standards process and the complaints procedure must be carried out in a fair and independent manner.\u201d<\/p>\n<p role=\"text\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"is_Paragraph font_caslonIonic _dsp-inline _bxs-border-box _ww-break-word _mt-0px _mr-0px _mb-0px _ml-0px _ff-f-family _fw-f-weight-3048 _fs-f-size-18 _lh-f-lineHeigh3500605 _col-grey_600 _select-auto _ws-normal\">Neither Campbell nor Reform responded to requests for comment.<\/p>\n<p role=\"text\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"is_Paragraph font_caslonIonic _dsp-inline _bxs-border-box _ww-break-word _mt-0px _mr-0px _mb-0px _ml-0px _ff-f-family _fw-f-weight-3048 _fs-f-size-18 _lh-f-lineHeigh3500605 _col-grey_600 _select-auto _ws-normal\">A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, which is ultimately responsible for governance at local authorities, said: \u201cWhile we cannot comment on individual allegations, mayors should be held to the highest possible standards in elected office and combined authorities must have appropriate arrangements for protecting their staff, with the right safeguards in place when allegations are made.<\/p>\n<p role=\"text\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"is_Paragraph font_caslonIonic _dsp-inline _bxs-border-box _ww-break-word _mt-0px _mr-0px _mb-0px _ml-0px _ff-f-family _fw-f-weight-3048 _fs-f-size-18 _lh-f-lineHeigh3500605 _col-grey_600 _select-auto _ws-normal\">\u201cWe have established processes in place to intervene in cases where they fail to meet these standards and will not hesitate to use them where required.\u201d<\/p>\n<p role=\"text\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"is_Paragraph font_caslonIonic _dsp-inline _bxs-border-box _ww-break-word _mt-0px _mr-0px _mb-0px _ml-0px _ff-f-family _fw-f-weight-3048 _fs-f-size-18 _lh-f-lineHeigh3500605 _col-grey_600 _select-auto _ws-normal\">Reform is battling against a series of revelations from a year-long investigation by ITV and Hardcash Productions, exposing racist and sexual language used by a number of councillors and candidates, raising questions about the party\u2019s vetting processes.<\/p>\n<p role=\"text\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"is_Paragraph font_caslonIonic _dsp-inline _bxs-border-box _ww-break-word _mt-0px _mr-0px _mb-0px _ml-0px _ff-f-family _fw-f-weight-3048 _fs-f-size-18 _lh-f-lineHeigh3500605 _col-grey_600 _select-auto _ws-normal\">Last week, the broadcaster released clips from the documentary, which will be screened on Sunday, in which Reform councillor Chris Whelan said of a female candidate: \u201cIf she was my daughter, it would still be bath night on a Thursday,\u201d adding that he would sexually assault another female candidate if he was given the chance to hug her.<\/p>\n<p role=\"text\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"is_Paragraph font_caslonIonic _dsp-inline _bxs-border-box _ww-break-word _mt-0px _mr-0px _mb-0px _ml-0px _ff-f-family _fw-f-weight-3048 _fs-f-size-18 _lh-f-lineHeigh3500605 _col-grey_600 _select-auto _ws-normal\">Separately, Alan Feeney, the deputy mayor of Solihull in the West Midlands, was filmed calling Asian homeowners \u201cparasites\u201d, and stating that \u201cno more than 1% of [the] British population can be non-white\u2026 drag them out their homes, stick them on planes and fuck them off to Pakistan.\u201d<\/p>\n<p role=\"text\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"is_Paragraph font_caslonIonic _dsp-inline _bxs-border-box _ww-break-word _mt-0px _mr-0px _mb-0px _ml-0px _ff-f-family _fw-f-weight-3048 _fs-f-size-18 _lh-f-lineHeigh3500605 _col-grey_600 _select-auto _ws-normal\">Both men have since resigned.<\/p>\n<p role=\"text\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"is_Paragraph font_caslonIonic _dsp-inline _bxs-border-box _ww-break-word _mt-0px _mr-0px _mb-0px _ml-0px _ff-f-family _fw-f-weight-3048 _fs-f-size-18 _lh-f-lineHeigh3500605 _col-grey_600 _select-auto _ws-normal\">In response to ITV\u2019s investigation, Reform said: \u201cWhere members, activists and councillors have clearly behaved inappropriately, investigations have commenced. In some cases, there have been suspensions and due process must be followed.<\/p>\n<p role=\"text\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"is_Paragraph font_caslonIonic _dsp-inline _bxs-border-box _ww-break-word _mt-0px _mr-0px _mb-0px _ml-0px _ff-f-family _fw-f-weight-3048 _fs-f-size-18 _lh-f-lineHeigh3500605 _col-grey_600 _select-auto _ws-normal\">\u201cReform UK has improved and prioritised its vetting procedures, but from time to time, a handful of individuals who do not share our values will initially make it through vetting. This is the same for all organisations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p role=\"text\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"is_Paragraph font_caslonIonic _dsp-inline _bxs-border-box _ww-break-word _mt-0px _mr-0px _mb-0px _ml-0px _ff-f-family _fw-f-weight-3048 _fs-f-size-18 _lh-f-lineHeigh3500605 _col-grey_600 _select-auto _ws-normal\">A Labour party spokesperson said: \u201cThese shocking allegations raise more serious questions about the standards Reform expects from those it puts forward for public office.\u201d<\/p>\n<p role=\"text\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"is_Paragraph font_caslonIonic _dsp-inline _bxs-border-box _ww-break-word _mt-0px _mr-0px _mb-0px _ml-0px _ff-f-family _fw-f-weight-3048 _fs-f-size-18 _lh-f-lineHeigh3500605 _col-grey_600 _select-auto _ws-normal\">Photographs by Ian Forsyth\/Getty Images, Tim Warner\/Getty Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A Reform UK mayor is under police investigation for allegedly showing naked pictures of himself to a female&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":806221,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[924,59,57,58,30669,7106,50,633,288,229,39237,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-806220","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-united-kingdom","tag-crime","tag-gb","tag-great-britain","tag-greatbritain","tag-local-government","tag-national","tag-news","tag-nigel-farage","tag-police","tag-politics","tag-reform","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/806220","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=806220"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/806220\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/806221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=806220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=806220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=806220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}