Tag: Quiting

Records tagged “quitting” are generally about Reform UK members being forced to quit, step down, or be otherwise sacked after some controversy or other. (See also: Reform Inefficiency Department & Misconduct)

Councillor deletes post linking Ann Widdecombe’s death to ‘radical left thugs’

Posted on | by Just some bloke | Leave a Comment on Councillor deletes post linking Ann Widdecombe’s death to ‘radical left thugs’

A Restore Britain councillor has deleted a social media post in which he suggested that Ann Widdecombe’s death was linked to “radical left thugs”.

…

Cllr Clatworthy wrote: “Ann Widdecombe has been murdered.

“A straight talking patriot, fearless defender of Britain, taken out in her own home.

“Serious injuries Devon and Cornwall Police confirming murder investigation.

“What kind of a country lets radical left thugs create this climate of fear?

“A broken one. A failing one. One run by weak politicians who’ve surrendered to the mob.

“I faced threats myself. One still live with South Wales Police.

“I’m not backing down. Ann Widdecombe stood against all that. Her murder is a warning.

“Justice for Ann.”

Around half an hour after publishing the post, Cllr Clatworthy deleted it.

Councillor deletes post linking Ann Widdecombe’s death to ‘radical left thugs’, https://nation.cymru

According to the report, Owain Clatworthy defected to Rupert Lowe’s party from Reform UK in March.

How many councillors has Reform UK lost since the May 2026 elections?

Posted on | by Just Say No | 1 Comment on How many councillors has Reform UK lost since the May 2026 elections?

Given how popular (and lengthy!) my list of Reform councillor departures after the May 2025 elections turned out to be, here is a new list, this time for councillors elected under the Reform banner on 7 May 2026, or in by-elections after that date, who have already departed the party for one reason or another.

How many councillors has Reform UK lost since the May 2026 elections?

Councillor quits ‘sinister’ Restore Britain after just two days

Posted on | by Just Say No | Leave a Comment on Councillor quits ‘sinister’ Restore Britain after just two days

A North Northamptonshire local councillor has quit Restore Britain just two days day after defecting to it from Reform, describing Rupert Lowe’s new party “far more sinister than I first thought”.

Cllr Darren Rance, who represents Brickhill and Queensway, announced on Wednesday that he and fellow councillor Jack Goncalvez were leaving Reform to join Restore Britain, the hard‑right party announced by Rupert Lowe last week.

Councillor quits ‘sinister’ Restore Britain after just two days, searchlightmagazine.com

Kent county councillor from Margate jailed over years of controlling abuse of wife

Posted on | by Just Say No | Leave a Comment on Kent county councillor from Margate jailed over years of controlling abuse of wife

A Kent county councillor has been jailed for 12 months after admitting to subjecting his wife to years of controlling and coercive behaviour.

Daniel Taylor, 35, from Margate, was sentenced at Margate Magistrates’ Court today after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing.

Kent county councillor from Margate jailed over years of controlling abuse of wife

Reform UK councillor defects to Restore Britain

Posted on | by Just some bloke | Leave a Comment on Reform UK councillor defects to Restore Britain

A Reform UK councillor in Leicestershire has defected to a new party recently launched by MP Rupert Lowe.

Charles Whitford, previously a member of Leicestershire County Council’s cabinet, announced he had moved to Restore Britain on Thursday.

Reform UK councillor defects to Restore Britain, BBC

Two Northants Reform UK councillors quit party to join new rival

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More musical chairs as two North unitary councillors quit Reform UK to join Restore Britain

Two Reform UK councillors on North Northamptonshire Council have sensationally quit the party today to join a newly formed rival.

Cllr Jack Goncalvez (Rushden Lakes ward) and Darren Rance (Brickhill & Queensway ward) have been announced as new councillors by the Restore Britain party, which was launched on Friday evening by former Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe.

They follow a number of other councillors from Kent County Council in joining the new party, with Cllr Goncalvez accusing his former party of ‘courting the establishment it claims to oppose’.

Two Northants Reform UK councillors quit party to join new rival, NN Journal

Kent shows Reform does not know how to govern

Posted on | by Will I be next? | Leave a Comment on Kent shows Reform does not know how to govern

The problems that the council is facing suggests Nigel Farage’s party is far from ready to exercise power

[…]

For Reform, east of Edenbridge became an Eden; during a fractious internal party meeting during which council members attempted to discuss the budget, leaked by councillors, leader of the council Linden Kemkaran said: “We are a shop window. People are judging us every single minute of every single day – Nigel knows that, he is super aware that we are the flagship council.”

But like Eden, not everyone is capable of indefinitely living in paradise. Four members were initially suspended under suspicion of leaking the video, and five have now been removed from the party for bringing it into “disrepute” and displaying a “lack of integrity”.

Kent shows Reform does not know how to govern, telegraph.co.uk

Five Reform UK councillors booted out of party

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Five Reform UK county councillors have been expelled from the party for bringing it into “disrepute” and displaying a “lack of integrity”.

Kent councillors Bill Barrett and Robert Ford, who criticised the party’s “toxic” and “incompetent” leadership, were kicked out by email from Reform HQ, which said they had undermined the interests of the party.

Councillors Oliver Bradshaw, Brian Black, and Paul Thomas were also expelled for showing “a pattern of dishonest and deceptive behaviour which the party will not tolerate”, Reform UK said.

It comes after a damaging video leak showing the Reform UK leader of Kent County Council (KCC) Linden Kemkaran swearing and shouting during a council meeting.

Five Reform UK councillors booted out of party. BBC

Reform UK expels three more Kent county councillors for ‘dishonest and deceptive’ behaviour

Posted on | by True Thinker | Leave a Comment on Reform UK expels three more Kent county councillors for ‘dishonest and deceptive’ behaviour

Reform UK has expelled another three county councillors from the party this afternoon alleging “a pattern of dishonest and deceptive behaviour”.

The dismissals of Cllrs Brian Black, Paul Thomas and Oliver Bradshaw brings to five the number of expulsions from the Kent County Council group in the past four days.

Reform UK expels three more Kent county councillors for ‘dishonest and deceptive’ behaviour, Kent Online

How many councillors has Reform UK lost since May? (36)

Posted on | by True Thinker | Leave a Comment on How many councillors has Reform UK lost since May? (36)

Here is a list of the councillors which Reform has shed from the May 2025 local elections. The latest updates are the addition of three more defections in Cornwall, reinforcing Reform’s loss of largest party status on the council, plus also another three expulsions in Kent. Plus bonus news from Grantham…

How many councillors has Reform UK lost since May?, Mark Pack

Reform UK suspends four Kent councillors after leaked video

Posted on | by True Thinker | Leave a Comment on Reform UK suspends four Kent councillors after leaked video

Party accuses council members of bringing Reform ‘into disrepute’ as film of private meeting shows fractious dispute

Reform UK has suspended four of its Kent councillors after a video was leaked of the council’s leader telling her colleagues to “suck it up”.

Reform UK suspends four Kent councillors after leaked video, ft.com

Countdown: The steady shedding of Reform councillors and officials continues…

Posted on | by Will I be next? | Leave a Comment on Countdown: The steady shedding of Reform councillors and officials continues…

Drunken displays, racist rants and dodgy deals are just some of the reasons that Reform councillors and officials are dropping like flies…

While Reform UK can celebrate a steady drumbeat of defections and by-elections boosting their number of councillors, they’re finding it somewhat hard to keep hold of the ones they’ve already got. The party managed to shed a remarkable eight councillors in September alone, and have lost 24 since May, for a variety of embarrassing reasons.

To make matters worse, even Reform HQ staff are not safe from the perpetual churn. Read on for a breakdown of those suspended, expelled and otherwise exiled from the Reform Party movement over the past few months…

Countdown: The steady shedding of Reform councillors and officials continues…, Hope not Hate

Councillor quits Reform UK over divergent views

Posted on | by True Thinker | Leave a Comment on Councillor quits Reform UK over divergent views

Reform UK’s deputy group leader on Cornwall Council has resigned from the party citing a difference in views.

Rowland O’Connor was one of 28 Reform councillors who won a seat during the local elections in May.

The councillor for St Columb Major, St Mawgan and St Wenn said it had become clear his priorities had “increasingly diverged” from the party’s and he had decided to sit as an independent.

Councillor quits Reform UK over divergent views, BBC

Reform UK county councillor defects to UKIP

Posted on | by True Thinker | Leave a Comment on Reform UK county councillor defects to UKIP

A Reform UK county councillor in Kent has defected to UKIP, it has been announced.

Amelia Randall, who serves the Birchington & Rural division in Thanet, has left the party four months after being elected.

A Reform UK spokesperson said: “We remain committed to our mission of delivering for our residents and ensuring Nigel Farage becomes Britain’s next Prime Minister.”

Opposition leader at Kent County Council, Antony Hook, has called for Randall to resign and a by-election to be called.

He said: “She should resign so that Birchington residents can make a fresh choice about who they want to represent them.”

Reform UK county councillor defects to UKIP, BBC

Reform UK councillor expelled from party

Posted on | by True Thinker | Leave a Comment on Reform UK councillor expelled from party

A Reform UK councillor who was elected to Devon County Council in May has been expelled from the party.

Reform UK said it had expelled Ed Hill for publishing a letter about free school meals in the name of all Reform Devon councillors without their consent.

Reform UK councillor expelled from party, BBC

Reform UK in THIRD place as Nigel Farage’s party loses Staffordshire by-election

Posted on | by True Thinker | Leave a Comment on Reform UK in THIRD place as Nigel Farage’s party loses Staffordshire by-election

The Conservatives have won back Eccleshall & Gnosall on Staffordshire County Council

Reform UK has lost one of the Staffordshire County Council seats it won on May 1 – just 78 days after that landslide victory. Reform UK swept to power in May after winning 49 of the 62 Staffordshire County Council divisions.

But a by-election was triggered just days later after offensive social media posts from Councillor Wayne Titley led to his resignation. Now the Conservatives have regained Eccleshall & Gnosall following this morning’s election result.

Reform UK in THIRD place as Nigel Farage’s party loses Staffordshire by-election, stokesentinel.co.uk

Reform UK expels Devon councillor who ‘crossed the line’

Posted on | by Will I be next? | Leave a Comment on Reform UK expels Devon councillor who ‘crossed the line’

Reform UK has expelled one of its own Devon councillors from the party over a row about a letter being sent without consent.

Devon County councillor Ed Hill, (Pinhoe & Mincinglake), has been kicked out over claims by the party that he distributed a letter on free school meals to MPs and the media purportedly signed by 17 Reform councillors.

Reform UK expels Devon councillor who ‘crossed the line’, Devon Live

Suella Braverman’s husband quits Reform after six months

Posted on | by True Thinker | Leave a Comment on Suella Braverman’s husband quits Reform after six months

Move comes hours after Zia Yusuf, the party’s efficiency tsar, had criticised former home secretary

Suella Braverman’s husband has quit Reform UK six months after joining.

Rael Braverman issued a short statement on X, saying: “I have left Reform effective immediately.”

It came hours after Zia Yusuf, the Reform efficiency tsar, had criticised Mrs Braverman, the former home secretary, on the same platform.

Suella Braverman’s husband quits Reform after six months, telegraph.co.uk

Reform UK-led Kent County Council replaces cabinet member Bill Barrett after less than seven weeks

Posted on | by True Thinker | Leave a Comment on Reform UK-led Kent County Council replaces cabinet member Bill Barrett after less than seven weeks

Reform UK’s new administration at Kent County Council has replaced its first cabinet member less than seven weeks into the job.

Cllr Bill Barrett, who represents the Ashford Rural South division, stepped down from his place at the top table where he was in charge of highways and transport.

Reform UK-led Kent County Council replaces cabinet member Bill Barrett after less than seven weeks, kentonline.co.uk

Reform candidate expelled over social media posts

Posted on | by Will I be next? | Leave a Comment on Reform candidate expelled over social media posts

Reform UK has expelled its candidate in a Sefton council by-election after “unacceptable” comments surfaced on social media.

The party confirmed it had removed its support for Irene Davidson, who was due to stand as a candidate in the Blundellsands by-election on 19 June.

Davidson’s X account has now been deleted.

Some of the posts from Davidson’s account, seen by the BBC, included a cartoon of King Charles labelled as a traitor, and calls for Islam to be “eradicated” from the UK.

Despite being expelled from the party, Davidson will still appear on the ballot paper as Reform UK’s candidate as the papers have already been printed.

Reform candidate expelled over social media posts, BBC

Council boss quits, leaving 18-year-old in charge

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The recently elected leader of Warwickshire County Council has resigned, leaving his 18-year-old deputy in charge.

Reform UK councillor Rob Howard, who was in power for 41 days, said he had made the decision with “much regret”, citing health reasons were behind his departure.

Council boss quits, leaving 18-year-old in charge, BBC

Deadline looms to register to vote in £27k by-election after Reform councillor quits

Posted on | by True Thinker | Leave a Comment on Deadline looms to register to vote in £27k by-election after Reform councillor quits

The by-election is expected to cost taxpayers £27,000

The deadline to register to vote in a by-election triggered by the resignation of a Reform UK councillor after just a fortnight is now looming. People in Eccleshall and Gnosall have a week to register to vote in next month’s Staffordshire County Council by-election which is costing taxpayers £27,000.

Former Eccleshall & Gnosall councillor Wayne Titley was one of 49 Reform candidates to be elected onto the council as the party secured a landslide victory on May 1.

But just two weeks later he resigned after coming under intense online criticism of social media posts attributed to him, including one which called for the Royal Navy to shoot at small boats in the English Channel.

Deadline looms to register to vote in £27k by-election after Reform councillor quits, www.stokesentinel.co.uk

Resignations, Cancelled Meetings and Culture Wars: How Reform UK Councils Are Descending Into Chaos

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Nigel Farage’s band of newly-elected councillors are already starting to struggle, reports Josiah Mortimer

After the election counts finished and the camera crews headed home, Reform UK councillors – over 800 of them now, running 12 councils – had to grapple with a new question: ‘What are we going to do now?’

Now that question is starting to be answered.

We’ve dug through local news coverage and talked to local constituents and opposition councillors on the ground to figure out what the new Reform councils have been up to. It’s not been smooth sailing, to say the least.

Across England there have been stories of cancelled meetings, suspensions, resignations, and more than a few culture wars.

Here’s just Reform’s local councillors have been getting up to since May 1st. It’s not been smooth running.

Resignations, Cancelled Meetings and Culture Wars: How Reform UK Councils Are Descending Into Chaos, Josiah Mortimer, bylinetimes.com

Merseyside Reform candidate removed as social media posts surface week before election

Posted on | by True Thinker | Leave a Comment on Merseyside Reform candidate removed as social media posts surface week before election

A Reform UK candidate has been expelled after “unacceptable” comments surfaced on social media. Reform UK confirmed it had removed Irene Davidson, who was due to stand as a candidate in the Blundellsands by-election taking place next Thursday, June 19.

In recent days posts on Ms Davidson’s X account had been re-shared on the social media platform by other users highlighting the language used in them. A spokesperson for Reform told the ECHO the social media account had not been disclosed to the party’s vetting team.

Merseyside Reform candidate removed as social media posts surface week before election, www.liverpoolecho.co.uk

Reform UK chair Zia Yusuf says role is ‘no longer good use of my time’

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Reform UK chair Zia Yusuf resigns from party

Senior figure in populist movement says role is ‘no longer good use of my time’

Reform UK chair Zia Yusuf has resigned from Nigel Farage’s populist party after criticising comments by one of its MPs about burkas, saying that he no longer believes the role is a “good use of my time”.

Reform UK chair Zia Yusuf resigns from party, ft.com

Reform expels councillor over ‘inappropriate’ posts

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A city councillor in Doncaster has been expelled from Reform UK over historic social media posts deemed “unacceptable” by party leaders.

Mark Broadhurst, who had been in post for just four weeks, will sit as an independent councillor after the party’s decision to withdraw the whip on Thursday.

Councillor Guy Aston, Reform UK group leader, said the decision was a result of “inappropriate social media activity that does not reflect our values or standards: family, community, country.”

A Facebook page belonging to Broadhurst shared a post comparing black Islamic dress to “bin bags”, and a now-deleted image which suggested Adolf Hitler would have been a “legend” if he had targeted Muslims.

Reform expels councillor over ‘inappropriate’ posts, BBC

Meet Reform’s ‘regretters’: the councillors quitting just weeks into the job

Posted on | by True Thinker | Leave a Comment on Meet Reform’s ‘regretters’: the councillors quitting just weeks into the job

Reasons range from dodgy social media posts to not being eligible to stand in the first place

Over 600 new Reform councillors were elected in the May 2025 local elections – and many seem to have been unprepared for it.

Reform is seeing an unusual number of councillors resigning in their first few weeks in office. In each case, this will trigger a council byelection costing in excess of £20,000.

Meet Reform’s ‘regretters’: the councillors quitting just weeks into the job, informuk.org

Reform council leader defends by-election cost

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The Reform UK leader of a council has accused other political parties of hypocrisy over their reaction to the cost of a by-election, after one of his councillors resigned.

Wayne Titley won the Eccleshall and Gnosall ward for Reform earlier in May but faced criticism over a social media post around immigration and stepped down.

His resignation means a by-election at an estimated £27,000 cost and the Conservative leader on the council called it a “waste of money”.

Reform council leader defends by-election cost, BBC

Reform councillors begin to quit

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‘Embarrassing’ councillors

Nigel Farage hailed his party’s election success as proof that Reform had professionalised but, just a few weeks on, “the truth is beginning to emerge”, said The New European, “as newly-elected Reform councillors begin to quit, wasting tens of thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money” on by-election costs for their replacements.

The New European via theweek.com

Reform councillor quits two weeks after election

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Reform councillor quits two weeks after election

A new Staffordshire County councillor has stepped down, just two weeks after being elected.

Wayne Titley won the Eccleshall and Gnosall division for Reform UK, beating the Conservative Jeremy Pert by just 27 votes.

However, he attracted criticism for a post on his Facebook account in March that called on the navy to intercept small boats attempting to reach Britain and use a “volley of gun fire aimed at sinking them”.

Reform councillor quits two weeks after election, BBC

Ineligible, inept and unspeakable

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Reform UK Ltd’s councillors, are already proving they are unfit or unwilling to serve

A worrying, if not surprising, number of Reform UK Ltd’s new councillors have been accused of sharing extreme right-wing posts on their social media accounts. However, it’s not just the abhorrent racism, misogyny and links to cosplay fascists that Reform’s AI-based vetting procedure appears to have missed. While they were checking out potential representatives, maybe they should have asked them if they intended to hang around for longer than a couple of days after the election or even if they were actually allowed to be a councillor in the first place.

The Reform company, sorry party, has already seen four of their new cohort announce that they can’t or won’t represent them in the council chamber, decisions that in some cases will cost local government tens of thousands of pounds.

Ineligible, inept and unspeakable, yorkshirebylines.co.uk

Reform councillor resigns one week after election

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A Reform UK councillor elected just over a week ago has resigned after failing to declare that he worked for the council.

Andrew Kilburn will no longer take up his role as a Durham county councillor for Benfieldside.

He was elected with 1,007 votes alongside fellow Reform candidate Sandra Grindle as the party gained both seats in the Benfieldside ward – one from Labour and one from an independent.

Reform councillor resigns one week after election, BBC

‘Regret’ as Newark Reform councillor steps down after only one week

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Desmond Clarke said he is ‘unable to deliver’ what people need

A Nottinghamshire Reform councillor has stepped down only a week after he was elected as he felt he was ‘unable to deliver’ what people need. Desmond Clarke won his seat for Newark West on Nottinghamshire County Council only one week ago in the May 1 elections.

‘Regret’ as Newark Reform councillor steps down after only one week, nottinghampost.com

New Warwickshire councillor sorry after discovering he can’t represent Reform UK

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A new Warwickshire county councillor has apologised for a “mistake” that means he will be unable to serve under the Reform UK banner for now.

Councillor Luke Shingler swept to a comfortable victory in Nuneaton’s Galley Common ward having been promoted as the Reform candidate until five days before the ballot.

He took to social media on the Saturday before the polls to tell residents he was not allowed to “run under a political organisation, party or movement due to my employment” but that it was too late to change ballot papers that linked him to Reform.

New Warwickshire councillor sorry after discovering he can’t represent Reform UK, warwickshireworld.com

Reform UK is a ‘cult’, says suspended councillor

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A newly elected councillor who quit Reform UK after she was suspended over a social media post has described it as a “cult”, and accused the party’s leader Nigel Farage of treating its members with contempt.

Donna Edmunds, who was elected for Hodnet Ward in Shropshire, was suspended following a post on X about her plans to defect from the party after the local elections.

“I thought I was joining a party. It turned out I had joined a cult,” Edmunds said in a statement.

Reform UK is a ‘cult’, says suspended councillor, BBC

Reform UK councillor quits party with attack on Farage just days after election

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The councillor had posted on social media about her plans to defect from Reform UK after the election

A newly elected councillor has quit Reform UK after she was suspended over a social media post just days after being elected.

Donna Edmunds, who was elected in Hodnet in Shropshire, was suspended for writing on X, formerly Twitter, that she was planning to defect from the party after the local elections.

Ms Edmunds on Sunday had written on the platform that she had been suspended from the party “pending an investigation”.

She had previously posted about waiting for the party’s ousted MP Rupert Lowe to set up a challenger party “and then I will defect”.

Reform UK councillor quits party with attack on Farage just days after election, Independent

Branch officers quit Reform UK over treatment of MP

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All three branch officers of Reform UK in a constituency have resigned from the party in protest at the treatment of their local MP, Rupert Lowe.

The chairman, branch secretary and treasurer of the party in Great Yarmouth have all resigned their membership and say that with no officers the local party has effectively left Reform UK.

Mr Lowe, who currently sits as an Independent MP, has been suspended from the party while allegations of bullying are investigated, claims which he denies.

Branch officers quit Reform UK over treatment of MP, BBC