Many have mocked Reform’s performances in local government since taking control of a swathe of councils over the past 14 months – but perhaps the titters should cease.
Volunteers from the party in Kent held a village clean-up last week in which they not only spruced up the surrounding area but, astonishingly, managed to tarmac an entire road in a single afternoon despite being just a bunch of members.
Or did they?
Before-and-after images of the boundary of Sarre, near Margate, posted by the local party on Facebook, showed the fencing at the entrance to the village gone from grimy to a dazzling white while, oddly, having gained an extra slat.
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The adjacent pavement, which barely existed, looked pristine and apparently entirely tarmacked, not something ordinary volunteers would have the ability to do within the space of a few hours. And strangely, all of this was done while a car in the background did not move an inch.
The picture was, said Mike Sole, the leader of the Liberal Democrats on Canterbury city council, “a lesson in how not to use AI”.
He said: “The village gateway is now newly painted and the pavement resurfaced, yet the car, clouds and shadows are unchanged. That’s either super-human work in the blink of an eye, or Reform are not telling the truth.”
The original Facebook post has now been edited to include a photo of the actual clean-up carried out as part of a “Clean Up Britain Day”.
The Herne Bay and Sandwich branch of Reform has since apologised, with a post reading: “The incorrect image previously posted to this Facebook page was selected and uploaded in error due to an administrative oversight.
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“This local Facebook page is managed entirely by unpaid volunteers, independent of Reform UK HQ and its official PR team. While the image used was incorrect, the community cleanup work at the entrance to Sarre village did take place as described.
“We sincerely apologise for this mistake and for any confusion or misunderstanding it may have caused.”
One Reform member, though, was a little more earthy when speaking anonymously to KentOnline about the suspicious picture.
“It’s gone fucking nuts,” they said. “A simple job has turned into a political football. I swear it’s only because it is Reform.”
As ever, it’s all going very well!
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