Reform UK's Hampshire leader charged with 35 offences including 12 counts of rape

George Madgwick, the leader of Reform UK in Hampshire, has been charged with 35 offences against four victims over a 13-year period, the Crown Prosecution Service has said. The 37-year-old faces 12 counts of rape among charges alleged to have taken place between 2008 and 2021 in Portsmouth and Wales. The CPS said the victims were aged 16 and 17 at the time. Madgwick is due to appear at Portsmouth Magistrates' Court on 25 November. He denies any wrongdoing, and Reform UK said he had been suspended from the party with immediate effect. In a statement posted on social media on Tuesday evening, Madgwick said he was shocked and dismayed at the charges brought against him. "Whilst the charges are extremely serious, I will say unequivocally that I am innocent of the allegations against me," he said, adding that due process must take its course without hindrance. He said he will continue as an independent councillor on Hampshire County Council and Portsmouth City Council. In total, Madgwick, who is from the Anchorage Park area of Portsmouth, faces 12 counts of rape, two counts of assault by penetration and two of sexual assault. He is also charged with two counts of making indecent images of children, two of controlling or coercive behaviour and eight of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. He faces one charge each of causing or inciting sexual exploitation of a child, distributing an indecent image of a child, stalking, making threats to kill, false imprisonment, theft and criminal damage. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said its investigation into Madgwick began on 24 July 2025, after the force received a report of a sexual offence. Officers first arrested him on 6 January 2026, before the CPS charged him on Tuesday. A CPS spokesperson said prosecutors had worked to establish that there was sufficient evidence and that it was in the public interest to bring the case to court. The spokesperson reminded all concerned that proceedings against the defendant are now active and that he has the right to a fair trial, saying there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information which could in any way prejudice the proceedings. Madgwick represents North East Havant on Hampshire County Council and Paulsgrove on Portsmouth City Council. He was elected to the county council by a large margin in May, months after he was first arrested. The local authority said it was aware of the extremely serious allegations but that it would not be appropriate to comment further while criminal proceedings were under way, adding that being charged with a criminal offence does not disqualify a councillor from office. Last month, Madgwick featured in the ITV News Exposure documentary Undercover: A Year In Reform, after which he accused the broadcaster of electoral interference. In the programme, he was shown voicing support for the Portsmouth Patriots anti-immigration group. He subsequently issued a statement saying the undercover reporters potentially had an impact on the result of the council elections.