Reform loses four councillors in 24 hours

Reform loses four councillors in 24 hours



Nigel Farage of Reform UK looks on with his lips held together

As highlighted by Reform UK Exposed (RUKE), Nigel Farage’s party lost multiple councillors in a very short period this week — so much for things coming in threes.

The four councillors are:

  • Eleonora Gough (Solihull, West Midlands)
  • Jacob Padget (Wakefield, West Yorkshire)
  • Tanya Brasted (West Marsh, North East Lincolnshire)
  • Robbie Withey (Huntly, Strathbogie and Howe of Alford, Aberdeen)

Reform’s Jacob Padget

Padget exited the party following revelations from RUKE.  Before Paget went, RUKE reported:

Jacob Padget is a Reform UK District Councillor for Featherstone Ward, Wakefield.

“Glorifying mothers who murder their children”

… (Wakefield Council)’s Monitoring Officer should urgently consider whether Councillor Jacob Padget has breached the Members’ Code of Conduct.

Padget, who chairs the council’s Adult Services and Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee, created and published a graphic describing women who have abortions as “mothers who murder their children”.

This is not simply a repost of someone else’s material. It is his own content, published from an account prominently identifying him as a Wakefield councillor.

The question is straightforward: is that compatible with the duties to treat the public with respect, promote equality and avoid bringing the office of councillor into disrepute?

Later that day, Reform UK Wakerfield suspended Padget.

Eleanora Gough

Gough claims that she remains committed to Reform UK, but she can’t stand her local colleagues. In full, her letter reads:

I am writing to resign from the Reform UK Councillors’ Group on Solihull Council, with immediate effect.

I want to be very clear what this is about. It is not a resignation from Reform UK. My support for the party, its principles, and its national leadership stands unchanged. This is a resignation from the local councillor’s group alone.

First, the group has become divisive and unprofessional rather than constructive, under your leadership, and that is something I am no longer willing to be associated with.

Second, the working environment within the group has become toxic and hostile towards anyone who holds a different opinion to you and those closest to you within the group. This is no longer conducive to good working relationships amongst all councillors, and the effect on my mental health and overall wellbeing has been significant.

I am not the first to reach this conclusion, and I doubt I will be the last.

My decision is final. I will continue to serve the residents of my ward independently of this group.

Gough is correct that she “isn’t the first”. Her only mistake is thinking that this sort of problem is unique to her council.

Reform councillor quits, blames ‘sexism’ and ‘bullying’

Who are the other Reform councillors to bow out?

The last two councillors seem to have actually gone on 1 September, although they certainly could have been in the same 24 hours as the others.

According to Grimsby News, Brasted said she felt “unfairly targeted” and “stitched up” after asking another councillor to keep her informed while she was away.

She also addressed allegations concerning financial figures from a Reform Christmas Ball she helped organise to raise funds for the local election campaign, stating that “every penny was properly accounted for, the figures have been checked, and the books are in order”.

She said: “There are also legitimate questions that Cllr Oliver Freeston himself should answer regarding the handling of party funds during his time as local branch campaign manager. These matters deserve proper scrutiny rather than accusations being directed at others.”

Like Gough, Brasted said she still supports the national operation but can’t stand her local colleagues. You may be noticing a pattern emerging; namely that things fall apart as soon as these people spend any time with one another.

The final one to go was Robbie Withey, who said:

Nationally, I don’t think they’re talking about the right things.

They are very, very focused on immigration. I get that. We do need to deal with that. The language they use is too strong for me.

If they ever get into power, they’re going to realise there’s a whole lot more they need to deal with.

While we don’t disagree with what he’s saying, we do wonder how he ended up in the party. After all, immigration is pretty much all that Reform politicians talk about.

Bonus exit

Also this week, a former Reform councillor who stepped down for public drunkenness joined the SDP.

Reform has certainly done well and growing its roster of councillors. The problem is, it’s doing terribly at holding on to them.

Featured image via Getty Images/ BBC

By Willem Moore





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