Reform Watch: Failing councils, far right beliefs and Farage's schoolboy racism
Each week we cast over eyes over what Reform have been up to – from bizarre proclamations to the detail of how their attempts to run councils are going.
The Lead is keeping an eye on Reform UK and their fellow travellers. Get in touch on X, Bluesky and Instagram or email ella@thelead.uk with tips and stories. We especially want to hear from readers whose local council is now run by Farage’s followers. In today’s edition:
It’s probably unsurprising that Reform UK has been losing councillors at an unusual rate since it swept the byelections in May. According to analysis by PoliticsHome, the party has lost more than 5 per cent of the councillors it had elected six months ago. That’s thanks partly to the breakdown in Kent, a string of resignations and numerous suspensions and expulsions.
It’s also unsurprising that Reform’s new small business champion, Kevin Byrne, who is part of the newly formed Small Business for Reform is not just an entrepreneur but a Tommy Robinson fan and conspiracy theorist, according to some digging by Hope Not Hate.
Further up the food chain, Farage has been caught shifting his story on his alleged schoolboy racism, reported last week by the Guardian. First, the claims were “wholly untrue” and “farcical,” — then, when asked if Farage was asked if he believed those who made the allegations were inventing them, the spokesperson said: “I’m saying there is no primary evidence. It’s one person’s word against another.” Then, in an interview, Farage said he had never racially abused anyone “with intent”. What’s next? (And, it must be noted, a number of his contemporaries disagree).
The chair of the Reform UK in Tameside, Robert Barrowcliffe – who ran against Angela Rayner in the 2024 election – has been banned from the road after being convicted of drink driving.
And an update on Nathan Gill, Reform’s ex-leader in Wales who was found to have taken Russian bribes: he has been sentenced more than 10 years in prison.
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