Reform UK council leader arrested over alleged false election nomination papers
Ryan Coogan, who leads Reform UK's group at Huntingdonshire District Council, was arrested on suspicion of making false statements in nomination papers. He has been released on bail.
Reform group leader at Huntingdonshire council held over nomination paper claims
Ryan Coogan, leader of the Reform UK group at Huntingdonshire District Council, has been arrested on suspicion of making false statements in candidate nomination papers, bbc.co.uk reports.
Cambridgeshire Police confirmed that a 42-year-old man from Waterbeach was detained on 24 September. He has since been released on bail and is due to return to Milton Police Station on 22 December.
Coogan was elected to represent the Ramsey ward on 7 May, when Reform UK secured its first seats at the authority and became the third-largest party on the council, which is led by the Liberal Democrats in a minority coalition alongside independents.
Speaking to the BBC, Coogan said he had "always been and will continue to be happy to help police with their inquiries". He added that he could not comment further as he had "still not been informed what the actual detail of the alleged issue or crime or other supposedly is".
Earlier in September, Coogan told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire: "It's hard to know what they're investigating… I asked the police what they're actually investigating and they wouldn't tell me, so I have no idea about that and I can only assume that at some point something will happen or something won't happen."
Police responded directly to those remarks, stating: "We are investigating Ryan following an allegation of false statements on a candidate nomination paper at May's HDC elections. Investigation remains ongoing." The specific nature of the alleged false statements has not been made public.
Huntingdonshire District Council said it would not be appropriate to comment further while a police investigation remains ongoing. Reform UK has also been approached for comment.
Coogan had stood as the party's candidate in the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayoral election in 2025, finishing second. Since his election to the council, he has been appointed to several roles, including the corporate governance committee. On his website, where he lists more than 70,000 Facebook followers, Coogan claims to have started his first business at the age of 12 and to have been involved in developing a biotech product linked to research into the MRSA superbug.
Under Electoral Commission guidelines, candidates standing in England and Wales must submit three nomination documents before an election: a nomination form, a home address form, and a consent to nomination. Those forms require details including the candidate's address or addresses that qualify them to stand in the relevant area.
According to the Electoral Commission, a conviction for making a false statement on a nomination paper can carry an unlimited fine or a custodial sentence of up to one year.
Source: Google News UK — Crime (en)