ITV’s undercover investigation into racism and sexism has led to the resignations and suspensions of a number of Reform councillors – but even before that, the party hit a notable milestone this week.
Because this week was when it marked the magic number of 100 councillors elected in May this year who are no longer Reform councillors – having resigned, defected or been suspended or turfed out of Nigel Farage’s mob.
A whopping 104 of those only elected just five months ago are now no longer in the role, according to R U STILL THERE?, a website monitoring the comings and (overwhelmingly) goings of Reform councillors, run by Chris Barker. The number marks 4.4% of all new Reform councillors, or 0.642 gone per day.
The latest to depart include David Dresser and Paula-Jane Thackray, two councillors in Leeds who have resigned from the party after they were suspended pending an internal investigation.
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The pair, the reason for whose suspension has not been disclosed, announced they were forming a new political group called Leeds First Independents. The development comes after another Yorkshire Reform councillor, William Shaw, announced his departure from the party in Doncaster to sit as an independent.
Down in Essex, meanwhile, two Reform councillors were suspended within a week. Bradley Thompson was suspended “following several serious and well-documented allegations of misconduct” and Chris Perera was suspended after an investigation found “he damaged the party’s interests”. Thompson was pictured attending a polling station in Jaywick with Nigel Farage on polling day.
Elsewhere, the dwindling number of Reform members left warring on Durham Council went down even further with the departure of Aaron Hillam just weeks after Lyndsey Fox, Nicole Brown and Paul Sexton quit to sit as independents, a triple resignation which had already reduced the party’s majority to three.
Those three left amid wider allegations about the culture within the ruling group, whose deputy leader and public face is former GB News presenter Darren Grimes. Hillam resigned after moving away from County Durham.
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In the Midlands, a second Reform councillor in Lichfield has switched to sit as an independent after being suspended by the party. Matthew Wallens, the reason for whose suspension has not been made public, is now listed as an independent member. He follows Dean Robertson, who had also been suspended “pending investigation” for undisclosed reasons.
Meanwhile, the leader of Oldham’s Reform group has resigned just over a week after taking office. Mark Wilkinson announced he was stepping down as both leader of the party group and councillor, citing health reasons days after his predecessor, Lewis Quigg, resigned. Quigg had said the party needed “a fresh direction”.
And in East Anglia, Gary Keogh, who represented Bosmere on Suffolk County Council, has resigned with “deep regret”, saying work and family responsibilities meant he could no longer give the community enough time. He called his brief time in office “humbling”.
Will the last Reform councillor to depart local government please remember to switch off the streetlights?
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