Reform Watch: Pochin controversy, Kent chaos and a loss in Caerphilly
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:
In Lancashire, Reform councillor Graham Dalton has threatened an opposition councillor with legal action after she raised a potential conflict of interest concern in plans that could see ten care facilities close. Our sister publication, The Lancashire Lead, has the full story.
Reform MP Sarah Pochin has faced widespread criticism for bizarre comments she made about seeing people of colour in television adverts. “It drives me mad when I see adverts full of black people, full of Asian people,” she said, adding that it “doesn’t reflect our society”. Farage isn’t happy with her, but has still defended her, while most other MPs, including Starmer, have called it what it is: racism.
As Nadine White reports, Pochin now faces a formal complaint to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, submitted by the anti-racist group The No Movement.
Five councillors have been expelled from the chaotic Kent County Council following the Guardian’s video leak last week. Bill Barrett and Robert Ford, were kicked out by email from Reform HQ, which said they had undermined the interests of the party. Their sacking followed Oliver Bradshaw, Brian Black, and Paul Thomas who were expelled for showing “a pattern of dishonest and deceptive behaviour which the party will not tolerate”.
Meanwhile, an ex-Tory councillor defected to Reform UK earlier this month – Mark Whittington, of Grantham – has stepped down from the party after 20 days, for personal reasons “related to my Twitter and Facebook posts regarding my recent health issues”.
Despite thinking they had it in the bag, Reform lost last week’s Caerphilly by-election to Plaid Cymru, who took a 47 per cent share of the vote. As Will Hayward writes, Farage was swanning around Caerphilly before it became clear he had lost. Then he quickly scarpered. (Our Westminster editor, Zoë Grünewald, wrote about what this means for Labour).
Finally , an investigation by Byline Times has revealed the party’s own Treasurer, Nick Candy, has recently invested with the same Silicon Valley donor bloc that powered Donald Trump’s return, offering a glimpse into the machine powering Reform’s pro-fossil fuel agenda.
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