Reform UK suspends Durham councillor over asylum comments

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyvxy6npllo

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Councillor Paul Bean is also a civil servant who processes asylum claims

A Reform UK councillor has been suspended from the party amid allegations he criticised asylum seekers on social media, thereby breaching impartiality rules.

Campaigners claim the comments attributed to Durham County Council's Paul Bean may have fallen foul of civil service impartiality requirements because of his job processing asylum claims.

In the posts, allegedly written by Bean, it was claimed the vast majority of asylum seekers are "abusing the asylum system".

Bean has been contacted for comment and Reform said he had been suspended on 19 August pending an investigation.

The councillor, who represents Crook, was one of 65 Reform members elected to Durham County Council in May, which led to the party taking control of the local authority.

Bean was assigned the role of vice-chair of the council's statutory licensing committee and declared in his register of interests he works as a civil servant in the Home Office.

'Lying about persecution'

The posts were published under the username @dylanandmolly3739, which campaign group Hope Not Hate claims belongs to Bean.

One post read: "I work as an Asylum Decision Maker for the [Home Office] and I can tell you with authority that 93% of asylum seekers to the UK are men between 18-35 and 92% of them are refused asylum.

"The truth is the vast majority of asylum seekers are actually economic migrants abusing the asylum system."

Another said: "Ninety-seven percent of asylum seekers are lying about persecution in their home countries and the other 3% have been credible to the point of being believable.

"Source: me. Guess what job I do."

Official Home Office figures state 48% of claims (excluding dependants) were initially granted in the year ending June 2025.

The civil service code states employees must not allow "personal political views to determine any advice you give or your actions", according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

A Home Office spokesperson said it does not comment on individual cases but "all civil servants must adhere to the civil service code, and are expected to carry out their role with integrity, honesty, objectivity and political impartiality".

"Whenever the civil service code is breached, the matter will be fully investigated and disciplinary action taken as appropriate."

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