Somerset councillor suspended over membership of racist dating site
The Conservative Party’s head office has now suspended Ms Osborn pending a formal investigation
A Conservative councillor in Somerset has been suspended from the party over her membership of a dating site aimed at white supremacists.
Lillith Osborn (known locally as ‘Lilli’) has served on Glastonbury Town Council since June 2022 (representing the St. John’s ward) and stood for the Tories in a Somerset Council by-election in the town in October 2025, finishing third between the Liberal Democrats and Reform UK.
Ms Osborn (who worked as a teacher for nearly 30 years) was named by The Observer as one of 450 UK residents who had profiles on WhiteDate, a whites-only dating website which was recently shut down by a hacker.
The Conservative Party’s head office has now suspended Ms Osborn pending a formal investigation – with local MP Sarah Dyke calling for her resignation.
The WhiteDate site (along with its counterparts, the sperm donation and adoption site WhiteChild and the freelancing site WhiteDeal) were shut down by German hacker Martha Root live on stage at a security conference in December 2025.
Before erasing the site, Ms Root had “taken advantage of security weaknesses” to download a database of the site’s users, and subsequently published a sample of the data online.
The Observer‘s subsequent investigation that around 450 of the 8,000 profiles shared online were from the UK, and included former members of the British National Party (BNP), activists with the neo-Nazi group Patriotic Alternative, and a man who ran for political office for Britain First.
Ms Osborn had joined WhiteDate in 2020 (before being elected to the town council), with her profile describing her political orientation as “pro-white” and stating she was seeking a partner interested in “indigenous European spirituality”.
Ms Osborn, who currently works as a domiciliary care worker, told The Observer that she had discovered WhiteDate while researching modern paganism and went on it “once or twice”.
She added that she has mixed-race children and only described herself as pro-white “in order to be trusted on the site”.
The Conservative Party has officially suspended Ms Osborn in light of this news, meaning she will set as an independent until a formal investigation has concluded.
A spokesperson said: “Councillor Lillith Osborn has been suspended pending investigation.
“We have robust procedures in place to handle complaints. This process is rightfully confidential.”
The Glastonbury and Somerton branch of the Conservatives was approached by the Local Democracy Reporting Service but has not responded to a request for comment.
Sarah Dyke, the Liberal Democrat MP for Glastonbury and Somerton, has called for Ms Osborn to resign over her “utterly vile” beliefs, stating there could be “no tolerance for racism and bigotry of this kind”.
Posting on her official Facebook page, she said: “”I was totally shocked and disappointed to hear that Lillith Osborn, a Conservative town councillor representing the St John’s ward in Glastonbury, has been revealed to be a member of a white supremacist dating site.
“It is right that the Conservative Party has chosen to suspend membership from Councillor Osborn while their investigation is ongoing.
“I call on Councillor Osborn to take further accountability and to stand down from Glastonbury Town Council in the wake of this disgusting revelation.
“There can be no tolerance for racism and bigotry of this kind – in Glastonbury or anywhere.
“White supremacist beliefs are utterly vile, and stand at odds with the inclusive, diverse, and welcoming town that Glastonbury is.
“I am proud of our community’s wonderful diversity and extend my firmest support to everyone irrespective of ethnicity, creed, religion or background.
“The views espoused by Councillor Osborn do not represent the majority in Glastonbury and across Somerset.”