Reform UK’s Lee Anderson has savaged a former Labour MP, who is now an independent, for claiming their elected councillors are all recent ex-Tories. On Thursday, Brits took to the ballots to vote in council elections, mayoral elections and one by-election. The day was historic for Nigel Farage’s party who has since gained an MP, over 650 council seats and two mayors in England.
Independent MP for Burnley, Padiham & Brierfield, Oliver Ryan, who was formerly Labour but was suspended, took to social media after the results came flooding in, and said: “Ok, so the only people Reform have got elected so far are very recent ex-Tories…?” However, Reform MP and Chief Whip hit back at the bonkers claim with evidence of a recent councillor defecting from Labour just three months ago.
Writing on X in response, Mr Anderson said: “Meet Cllr Cathy Mason from Ashfield. Cathy was elected yesterday as a Nottinghamshire County Councillor. Up until 3 months ago Cathy was a Labour Cllr.”
In a brutal four-word retort, he later added: “Oh you are daft.”
The Reform MP shared an image of himself next to Ms Mason with the party branding, which reads “Make Ashfield Great Again”.
Nigel Farage’s party took full control of Nottinghamshire County Council in a dramatic election on Thursday, in which they achieved one of the biggest majorities on the authority for years.
Reform UK now has 40 councillors on the county council, which is well over the 34 needed for a party to run the county council on their own.
Prior to this, the council was Conservative run since 2021 when the party had made sweeping gains under Boris Johnson’s premiership. The authority has historically flip-flopped between the Conservatives and Labour yet received a major shakeup this week.
Mr Farage has said his party is “now the main opposition party” to the Government after his party’s victories across both the local election contests and the Runcorn and Helsby by-election.
Sarah Pochin was elected as the party’s fifth MP, with Dame Andrea Jenkyns becoming the Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire and former boxer Luke Campbell winning the mayoral contest in Hull & East Yorkshire.
