Reform UK councillor charged with 35 offences, including 12 counts of rape

Reform UK councillor George Madgwick has been charged with 35 offences, including 12 counts of rape, the Crown Prosecution Service has said. The Hampshire County Council official will appear at Portsmouth Magistrates Court on November 25. The charges follow a Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary investigation into allegations involving four complainants between 2008 and 2021. A Reform UK spokesman told GB News: “Cllr Madgwick has been suspended from Reform UK with immediate effect.” Mr Madgwick has been charged with 35 offences, including 12 counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault, two counts of assault by penetration, two counts of making and one count of distributing indecent images of a child. The allegations all relate to four victims, who were aged between 16 and 17 at the time, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said. The force added that the offences allegedly took place between 2008 and 2021 in Portsmouth and Wales. An investigation was launched on July 24 2025, after officers received a report of a sexual offence, police said. On January 6 2026, officers arrested a man at an address in Wandsworth, London. Mr Madgwick has been bailed to appear at Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court on November 25. A Crown Prosecution Service spokesman said they had “decided to prosecute George Madgwick for serious sexual offences, including multiple counts of rape. “He has also been charged with making a threat to kill, false imprisonment and stalking. LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: “Our prosecutors have worked to establish that there is sufficient evidence and that it is in the public interest to bring the case to court." Responding on social media, Cllr Madgwick said: "I am shocked and dismayed at the charges brought against me. "Whilst the charges are extremely serious, I will say unequivocally that I am innocent of the allegations against me. "Due process must take its course and the legal process must be followed without hindrance." He added: "I considered it responsible to resign as Reform UK leader in Hampshire Council and I will continue as an independent until I’m cleared. "I will not make any further statement now, or in the future, on this in any capacity. "I will deactivate my social media shortly until due process has concluded. Follow related topics: