All the Reform UK Councillors Nigel Farage Has Lost in Just Four Months – Byline Times

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Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and his so-called ‘DOGE’ (Department of Government Efficiency) leader Zia Yusuf hailed the work of Reform’s dozen councils in a press conference on Monday. 

However, their praise excluded the many Reform councillors who have already had to stand down, or who face investigations for alleged misconduct, since May’s local elections. 

At least 15 Reform councillors have been suspended, expelled, or have quit since being elected earlier this year, with at least four facing criminal investigations, Byline Times can report.

Some quit within days of being elected, whilst others were caught sharing Hitler memes, spouting racist conspiracy theories, or are now the subject of police probes or prosecutions. 

The below is a non-comprehensive list of scandals that have beset Reform UK’s tranche of councillors elected since May. 

It comes after Byline Times previously revealed that Reform UK have actually loosened their vetting procedures for potential candidates following the election. 

Full Resignations from Council

1. Desmond Clarke (Nottinghamshire County Council) – resigned from the council just a week after the election in May, stating he was “not in a position to represent the people of Newark West in the way they deserve” while continuing his career in social care
2. Andrew Kilburn (Durham County Council) – resigned from the council nine days after being elected, after not declaring he worked for the council he was elected to (something which is banned)
3. Wayne Titley (Staffordshire County Council) – stood down shortly after being elected in May after Facebook posts emerged calling for a “volley of gun fire” to sink small boats in the Channel
4. John Bailey (Durham County Council) – resigned from council in June citing health reasons
5. Sam Booth (Doncaster Council) – resigned from council in July citing “personal reasons”
6. David Maclean (Isle of Wight Council) – resigned from council in August after missing three meetings of the children’s services committee
7. Robert Bloom (North Northamptonshire) – resigned as councillor in August after being accused of shouting the N-word at a black neighbour and her family. He has so far refused to comment.

Defections / Attempted Defections

1. Owen Clatworthy (Bridgend County Borough Council) – five weeks after being elected, Clatworthy quietly contacted Labour’s council leader saying he “can’t stand Farage,” that “Reform is full of big egos,” and that he’s “a socialist” whose “values are more Labour,” before appearing on stage with Nigel Farage four days later in July 2025. He has not denied the claim. 
2. Donna Edmunds (Shropshire County Council) – suspended one day after the May election and subsequently quit her membership, having announced her intention to defect to whatever party expelled-Reform MP Rupert Lowe and ex-Deputy Leader Ben Habib set up. She had previously stated her intention to put up a statue of Tommy Robinson in every British town
3. Luke Shingler (Warwickshire County Council) – announced days before the election that he would have to sit as an Independent because he works in a politically-restricted job (understood to be in the Royal Air Force)
4. Michael Ramage (Durham County Council) – was listed as having left the Reform group on the council, but is now back with them, it seems. We’ve asked him what happened there and will update if we hear back.

Quick-Fire Sackings 

1. Rob Howard (Warwickshire County Council) – resigned as council leader after just 41 days, citing health reasons, but remains as councillor in June 2025. He handed over to 19-year-old Cllr George Finch 
2. Bill Barrett (Kent County Council) – sacked from cabinet role (or ‘agreed to leave’ as Reform have it) as Cabinet Member for Highways & Transport in July 2025
3. Charlotte Gates (Derbyshire County Council) – removed/replaced from cabinet role as Support Cabinet Member in July 2025, after she “struggled to get to meetings”
4. David Taylor (Worcestershire County Council) – resigned from deputy leader position but remains in cabinet in August 2025. No reason was given, but there were claims of infighting
5. Barry O’Brien (North Northamptonshire Council) – quit after just one month to ‘focus on personal commitments’
6. Joseph Boam (Leicestershire County Council) – sacked from both Deputy Leader and Cabinet lead for Adults & Communities roles in August 2025, as he apparently couldn’t hack the job.

Suspensions and Expulsions 

1. Ed Hill (Devon County Council) – expelled by Reform in July for, per the BBC, “publishing a letter about free school meals in the name of all Reform Devon councillors without their consent.”
2. James Regan (Epping Town Council) – suspended by Reform UK after calling the Bell Hotel holding asylum seekers in Epping a “paedophile babysitting centre”
3. Mark Broadhurst (Doncaster City Council) – expelled from the Reform UK group following allegations of racist social media activity including a meme suggesting Hitler would have been “a legend” if he’d chosen to exterminate Muslims instead of Jews
4. Paul Bean (Durham County Council) – accused of breaking civil service impartiality rules whilst working on asylum claims at the Home Office in August 2025, allegedly posting anti-asylum content including “97% of asylum seekers are lying about persecution… Source: me. Guess what job I do.”
5. Adam Smith (West Northants Council) – suspended 34 days after the election, with Reform citing “a number of concerns” about his conduct. He has now been officially expelled.

Under Criminal Investigation

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No-Shows and Truants

1. Christine Parsonage (Newquay Town Council, Cornwall) – hasn’t attended a single meeting since the May elections (she lives 45 miles away from the council area)
2. Dean Truder (Kent County Council) – does not appear to have attended a single meeting despite sitting on the planning applications committee, whilst pocketing £2,623.69 in taxpayer-funded allowance, according to Hope Not Hate
3. Michael Carver (Staffordshire County Council) – has only attended one meeting since May elections and missed both meetings of the health and care committee
4. Rachel Reed (Doncaster Council) – senior councillor who missed a July meeting of the overview and scrutiny management committee that she chairs, discussing £1 million for youth crime prevention
5. Craig Humphreyson (Staffordshire County Council) – vice-chair of pensions committee who has missed three of seven meetings, including audit and standards committee meetings

Many of these stories would not have emerged without diligent (and often highly over-stretched) local reporting. Something the party does not appear to be too keen on, for some reason.

Are we missing anyone? Get in touch: josiah@bylinetimes.com 

With thanks to ‘Reform Are Not Your Friends’ on social media, and Lib Dem peer Dr Mark Park who have, like Byline Times, been tracking many of the reports. 

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Josiah Mortimer is Byline Times’ Chief Reporter. He joined the title in 2023 after working in local journalism for MyLondon. Prior to that Josiah was a freelancer, and worked for the Electoral Reform Society, the independent democracy group.

Josiah reports on UK cronyism, the constitution, and campaigning. He also writes Byline Times’ monthly On the Ground column in print. If you have a political story that needs reporting, get in touch: josiah@bylinetimes.com

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