Councillors claim Reform stopped them acting in local interest

A new investigation from the Independent has looked at the various Reform councillors who have jumped or been pushed from the party since May 2025. An interesting recurring theme is the claim that councillors were blocked by the national party of focusing on local matters.

It’s a worrying sign of what we’ll have to contend with should Reform take over.

More than 60 councillors have left Reform over the past year. They tell us whyhttps://t.co/hTNvY7U1PQ

— Reform Party UK Exposed 🇬🇧 (@reformexposed) May 7, 2026

Micro-fuhrer

Interviews with ex-Reform councillors expose Nigel Farage as Britain’s biggest micro manager. Councillor Rob Parsonage left Reform for the Tories, as the Independent reported:

They [Reform party members] wanted huge changes, but I always said ‘give us to Christmas to get our feet under the table’, and you must remember we did not have control to make decisions,” he said. He claimed he “jumped before he was pushed”.

He added: “We were being sent orders from above – they wanted us to vote down everything net zero and fight DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion] – but in the end it turned into a conflict between the national agenda and the role of a councillor.”

In other words, Reform HQ doesn’t seem to understand or care what councillors can or should be doing.

Durham councillor Nick Brown made a similar point, stating:

When we took control [of Durham Council], I believed the messages from Nigel Farage that we would make big changes for people living locally.

But really, whenever we had a local issue, we were told to follow the party line. Not to rock the boat, bring press attention on the council. We all turned into Nigel’s yes-men – ordered to be on best behaviour to help him get to power.

A hardworking councillor can do a lot of good, but Farage clearly sees these men and women as pawns with no purpose besides sacrificing themselves for the king.

The further right

While Parsonage moved from the far-right Reform to the centre-right Tories, Farage’s party is also losing councillors to its further right. Councillor Nicola Brown left the party for Advance UK, stating:

I believe in the freedom to speak up for the people I represent without fear or pressure. As a Reform councillor, your voice goes through a party media machine. As an Advance UK councillor, my voice is my own. And I’ll keep using it for the benefit of those I represent.

This sentiment mirrors that of Advance UK leader Ben Habib, who was once Reform UK’s co-deputy leader:

Advance UK is a democratic movement. Members endorse our mission, not the other way around. No censorship. No cronyism. Just serious, open politics. pic.twitter.com/lItBkNsKBz

— Ben Habib (@BackBrexitBen) August 9, 2025

Numbers

In response to the Independent, Reform said:

Churn amongst councillors is normal across every political party. Since 1 May, Labour and the Tories have haemorrhaged at least 259 and 230 councillors respectively through resignations, suspensions and defections.

What you need to bear in mind is that Labour and the Tories have far more councillors than Reform (although that may be ‘had’ by the time you read this). Also, they’ve had some councillors in place for years or decades. As such, you’d naturally expect them to have more people stepping down on a year-to-year basis.

Many of these Reform councillors, meanwhile, didn’t even make it through their first year. Also, when you’re talking purely about percentages, Reform has lost nearly double that of Labour and the Tories (emphasis added):

According to Open Council Data UK, other parties have also been hit by defections. The number of Labour councillors in the UK has fallen by 289 (5 per cent) in the year since 1 May 2025, while the number of Tories has dropped by 234 (5 per cent).

And despite the overall number of Reform councillors in the UK rising 22 per cent since last May, reaching 991 on 1 May, the number of lost councillors – through defections, resignations or ill health – accounts for 9 per cent of the 810 a year ago.

In other words, things aren’t looking good for Reform’s long-term prospects as a serious political party.

Featured image via the Canary