Nigel Farage has welcomed four new councillors in a major defection and another blow for the Tories, marking a boost for his party after a rocky week. Announced this afternoon, Powys County Council has gained four new Reform UK councillors, taking the party’s national total up to 91.
Two of the councillors joining the party – Geoff Morgan and Claire Johnson-Wood – have defected from being Independent. However, the other two – Iain McIntosh and Karl Lewis – have quit the Conservatives to join Mr Farage’s political project. The announcements comes as a much-needed morale boost for Reform after a week of internal rows and stumbles over Russia and Ukraine.
Announcing the major defection, a Reform UK Wales Spokesperson said: “These Councillors have a strong track record of serving their communities, and we are confident they will continue to fight for the interests of their residents under the Reform UK banner.”
“Their support further strengthens our commitment to challenging the status quo and delivering real solutions to the issues people care about.”
Councillor McIntosh, one of the Tory defectors, said that Reform UK is now the “only party that truly represents the values I have always believed in”.
“It is the only party willing to stand up for free speech, for lower taxation, for real justice, and for the right of every British citizen to take pride in their country.
“It is the only party that is serious about reversing the national and local damage that has been done and about taking back control from the failed establishment that has betrayed us all.”
Reform is eyeing up a major showing in the upcoming Welsh Senedd elections in 2026, with some suggesting they could even form the next Welsh government.
In the last Welsh Senedd voting intention poll, Reform were tied with Plaid Cymru, one point ahead of Labour and four points ahead of the Welsh Conservatives.
However this was conducted in November 2024, and Mr Farage’s party have gained significantly more support nationally since then.
Mr Farage’s previous parties, UKIP and the Brexit Party, often performed strongly in Wales, with the country joining England in voting to leave the EU in the 2016 referendum.
Labour has run Wales since the parliament was created in 1999.
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