Ten councillors from Reform UK in Derbyshire have resigned, citing dissatisfaction with the leadership of Nigel Farage. The group has publicly expressed concerns that the party, under Farage’s leadership, is being run in an increasingly autocratic manner, and they claim that the party has lost its direction since Farage assumed the role of leader last June. The resignations come at a time when tensions have been rising within the party, and some members are openly challenging Farage’s leadership style.
In response to the resignations, Farage dismissed the concerns of the councillors, suggesting that those who had quit were put forward by a “rogue branch” of the party. He also pointed out that none of the resigning councillors had passed the party’s vetting process. Farage further clarified on BBC Newsnight that the councillors were not legitimate members of the party, implying that their resignations were not of significant consequence.
The leader of the group of resigning councillors, Alex Stevenson, had previously been suspended from the party in December pending an internal investigation. Stevenson, along with the other nine councillors, held positions at various levels of local government, including county, town, and parish councils, with a majority representing Heanor and Loscoe Town Council in Derbyshire. Stevenson, who had run for Reform UK in Amber Valley in the general election and finished second, admitted that some of the local election candidates he had put forward had not passed the party’s vetting process. He mentioned that one of the candidates had previously shared a post by controversial figure Tommy Robinson, but he downplayed the issue, calling the councillor in question a “good bloke.”
The group of resigning councillors issued a statement, which was first reported by The Guardian, declaring their complete loss of confidence in the current leadership of Reform UK. They accused the party management of either being incompetent or malevolent and expressed frustration over the lack of internal democracy within the party. They claimed that despite promises of democratic reforms, no meaningful steps had been taken to make the party more democratic. The councillors also expressed their support for the party’s former co-deputy leader, Ben Habib, who they said had been “unceremoniously sidelined” by the leadership.
Zia Yusuf, Reform UK’s chairman, responded to the resignations by calling the actions of the group “fraudulent.” He stated that Stevenson had been suspended weeks earlier for nominating candidates who had failed the party’s vetting process, as well as for nominating candidates with an invalid DNO certificate. Yusuf added that several of the councillors were not legitimate members of the party, and as a result, new elections would be required. He emphasized that Reform UK stood for the highest standards in public life and that anyone involved in fraudulent activities would be expelled.
Regarding the party’s internal disputes, Farage responded to the departure of Habib, who had been a significant figure in the party, by dismissing it as unimportant. Farage stated, “Good riddance” when asked about Habib’s departure. The tensions within Reform UK have also been influenced by external comments, particularly from US tech billionaire Elon Musk, who criticized Farage’s leadership, stating that Farage “doesn’t have what it takes” to lead the party. Musk’s comments, however, were not accompanied by any detailed explanation of his reasoning.
Farage responded to Musk’s remarks during his interview on Newsnight, saying that Musk had wanted him to publicly support Tommy Robinson, a controversial figure with ties to the English Defence League (EDL). Farage made it clear that, although he agreed with some of Robinson’s viewpoints and criticized his solitary confinement, he did not want Robinson to be a part of Reform UK. Farage further disclosed that he and Musk had recently patched up their differences and now shared similar views, with both agreeing that they did not want to be at odds with each other.
The ongoing disputes within Reform UK raise questions about the future of the party, as tensions between the leadership and members continue to grow. The resignations of the councillors in Derbyshire serve as a significant challenge to Farage’s leadership, with many within the party calling for reforms and a more democratic internal structure. As the party faces internal turmoil, it remains to be seen how these issues will be addressed and what impact they will have on the party’s future.
