Reform Watch: Misinformation, myth-making and malicious U-turns
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:
Now that Labour has pledged to scrap the two-child benefit cap, Reform UK – which was previously in support of this policy – has U-turned. Nigel Farage told journalists that Reform’s five MPs will now vote against Labour’s bill to lift the limit, due to concerns it would “benefit huge numbers of foreign-born people”.
Over Christmas, Councillor Luke Parker, who represents Preston East at Lancashire County Council for Reform UK, re-shared an out-of-context video accusing two Labour councillors of racism against white men after criticism of an all-white, all-male Reform UK cabinet at Lancashire County Council. This is despite the fact that the video was first published in November 2025, Lancashire Constabulary placed a marker on Councillor Samantha Barnes’ home due to the heightened risk of violence towards her, leading to a police visit to County Hall to encourage more respectful exchanges between local politicians.
Councillor Luke Parker Parker also posted backing Lancashire businesses that decide to ban Labour councillors from their businesses. He posted the names and headshots of five Labour politicians - Samara Barnes, Matthew Brown, Mark Clifford, Kim Snape and Chris Snow - saying they are ‘making decisions that affect your livelihood’. The Lancashire Lead has the full story.
Reform’s new London mayoral candidate, Laila Cunningham, has been accused of “talking down” the UK’s capital. In typical Reform fashion, she used a central London press conference to paint a picture of the capital as dangerous and crime-ridden; a narrative that has already been debunked. The Labour Party in London said the announcement of Cunningham “confirms that Reform UK are offering the capital nothing but division and decline”.
In Doncaster, councillor Christopher Marriott, who represents the Armthorpe ward, who quit Reform UK over “instability” and “internal infighting” has joined Advance UK, a far-right nationalist party backed by Tommy Robinson. He’s joining his colleague Nicola Brown, who defected in December.
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That two-child benefit cap flip is textbook opportunist politics, opposing it when Labour supported it, then reversing once Labour commits to scrapping it. The Lancashire council story is concerning tho, that escalation from policy disagreement to doxing councillors and encouraging business bans crosses lines that shouldn't be casaul. Tracking these local-level developments matters because that's where governance actually hapens.