Council leader urges Reform UK to expel Joseph Boam

This story was written by the local democracy reporting service (LDRS), a BBC-funded scheme to improve the coverage of issues relating to local democracy. The Leicester Gazette has been a partner in the scheme since March 2024, and so receives some stories as part of it.

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In a letter to Tice, Dan Harrison criticised his former deputy council leader Boam over a social media post in which he said “I stand with ICE”, hours after federal immigration agents fatally shot nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis last month.

Harrison went as far as asking Tice to “kick Joseph out of the party”.

In response, Boam claims he is “none the wiser” about attempts to remove the party whip. He told the local democracy reporting service (LDRS): “I rang [Reform] HQ, and I am still in the party, so there’s nothing to worry about. Always got on with Dan and have known him a while, so I don’t know where it’s all come from.

“I don’t know what to say, really, but as far as I’m aware, I’m still in Reform, and I’m thought of quite highly by [Reform] HQ, so I don’t think there’s anything to worry about”.

According to a BBC report, 79 complaints had been made about Reform UK councillors since the party took control at County Hall in May of which 40 were lodged against Boam.

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Boam was not the only Leicestershire Reform councillor to back ICE officers following the shooting, with Valley ward councillor Michael Squires congratulating them for their “heroic work saving the United States of America”.

Both councillors were widely condemned and were even criticised by Harrison in an email to staff and the media.

“I am aware that some staff will have been upset by the posts, and I wanted to address that directly,” Harrison wrote.

“These messages were posted without my knowledge or blessing.

“It is not appropriate for county councillors to get involved in or comment publicly on what is a serious matter for the US government.”

Squires has since made a full apology and that he “deeply regrets” the comments made, and will undergo further training on the Members’ Code of Conduct and the use of social media.

When approached by the LDRS, Reform refused to comment, but they told the BBC: “As standard, we do not provide a running commentary on any disciplinary matters.”

Harrison and Squires also declined to comment.

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