A newly elected Reform UK councillor in Barnsley has come under pressure to resign after photographs emerged appearing to show him with a swastika tattoo.

Andy Arnold, who was elected to Barnsley council earlier this month to represent Wombwell, can be seen with what appears to be the symbol tattooed on his arm in a series of publicly accessible Facebook images dating back to 2018.

The images were posted on an account linked to a tattoo studio in the area called Tattoo Wombwell, registered under Theresa Arnold, a fellow Reform UK councillor who is understood to be Arnold’s wife.

The swastika is strongly associated with Nazi Germany, Adolf Hitler and the Holocaust, and is widely regarded as a hate symbol.

In response to the accusations, Theresa Arnold told the Sheffield Star that the tattoo had been “misunderstood” and was connected to her husband’s brief interest in Buddhism when he was younger.

“In his late teens, my husband briefly explored Buddhism and had a symbol tattooed on his arm during that period,” she said.

“He has never been involved with, supported, or held views associated with Nazism or any extremist ideology.”

She added that the tattoo had since been covered because people “incorrectly associated it with something entirely different from its original religious context”.

The controversy has prompted criticism from Labour politicians in Barnsley, who questioned Reform UK’s vetting procedures for council candidates.

Dan Jarvis, the Labour MP for Barnsley North, said the reports were “deeply concerning”.

“One great privilege of serving as a Barnsley MP has been meeting the local veterans who sacrificed so much to fight against the Nazis and defend our country against fascism,” he said.

“Regardless of attempts to explain it away, for over 100 years the swastika has symbolised evil, antisemitism and the murder of millions,” he added, saying that “this debacle risks bringing shame on our borough as well as the individual concerned.”

James Higginbottom, the leader of the Barnsley Labour group, said: “He is totally unfit to serve as councillor and should do the right thing by resigning immediately.”

He said the revelations “raise serious questions about the entire vetting process for Barnsley Reform candidates in letting such a person stand for election”.

Arnold has been approached for comment.

In a letter to Higginbottom, Reform’s council leader, William Brown, said “there is no evidence that Councillor Arnold supports or endorses extremist or hateful views.”

He said the symbol had been “mischaracterised”, adding that it was “a Buddhist symbol of peace, presented in a non-tilted form that is widely recognised as distinct from the Nazi swastika – a rotated symbol associated with a very different and abhorrent history”.

“On the basis of the information available, I do not consider that any further action is required,” he added.

The row comes during a turbulent period for Reform UK in South Yorkshire following the local elections, despite the party making significant gains across the region.

Nathaniel Menday, a Reform councillor in Sheffield, was suspended after reports linking him to far-right imagery online.