A Reform UK candidate standing in the upcoming county elections has been expelled following revelations about past links to the far-right British National Party (BNP), it has been reported.

A joint investigation by anti-extremism group Hope not Hate and the Daily Mirror reported that George Parnell, who is contesting seats in Fleet Town and Hart District Council, had previously been associated with the BNP and was listed as an “activist” on a leaked membership list.

The BNP, founded in 1982, was once Britain’s most prominent far-right party. It reached its peak under former leader Nick Griffin before entering a steep decline after the 2010 general election.

According to the investigation, Mr Parnell and two other candidates appeared on the leaked list of BNP members and contacts, which identified him as an activist and included his address.

When approached at his home by the Daily Mirror, Parnell denied being an activist. He is reported to have said: “I’m definitely not an activist. I’ve never been an activist in anything.

“I did look into them. I was a bit naïve at the time.”

When asked if he had supported the BNP in the past, he replied: “A momentary time.

“I might have signed up for a week, then realised, actually, what did I sign up for? This isn’t what I support. And binned it and didn’t think more of it.”

Pressed further on whether he had formally joined the party, Parnell said: “I’m not even sure there was a membership, so no, I dispute that. I didn’t become a member.”

Following the revelations, Reform UK confirmed that Parnell had been expelled for “failing to declare” previous involvement with “an organisation proscribed by the party”.

Separately, another Reform UK candidate, Spencer Gregson-Grey, who is standing in Peel Common, Gosport, has also come under scrutiny over an old social media posts in which he explicitly want to “sell of the NHS” and “learn” from the USA.

In the 2019 Facebook post, he wrote: “I don’t care if this annoys anyone but I hope to god we do sell off the NHS.

“The infrastructure is dying. It can’t support our ageing country. We need major investment. And can learn A LOT from a country like the USA.

“I’m not saying privatise everything. But I am saying if I am paying I deserve to be treated better than a man on minimum wage. Surely that’s just business.”

Responding to the findings, the leader of Hampshire County Council, Cllr Nick Adams-King, said: “This is now the third damning revelation regarding a Reform candidate in Hampshire in the last two months alone.

“The truth is that the people Nigel Farage has hand-picked to represent his party in Hampshire, from his mayoral candidate downwards, have clearly not been vetted, do not represent the views and values of the vast majority of this county, and pose a real threat to our community.

“This election is different. The only party able to stop Reform taking control of Hampshire County Council — our schools, care homes, adult social care services and much more — is the local Conservatives. The stakes are too high. That’s why we’re asking residents to lend us their vote.”

Spencer Gregson-Grey and Gosport’s Reform UK branch have been contacted for comment, but neither have replied at the time of publication.

Recent polling in Hampshire suggests Reform UK is currently leading, with the Conservatives in a close second place. The Liberal Democrats, Labour and the Green Party are trailing behind in third, fourth and fifth positions respectively.

A Reform UK spokesman said: “Mr. Parnell has been expelled from Reform UK after failing to declare his previous memberships of an organisation proscribed by the party.”