Polling at around 20% in most surveys, backed by the world’s richest man, and enjoying all the airtime they could wish for. The Reform Party was having a pretty good time of it – but they may have already have reached a crossroads.
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Reform respond to another party tiff
Last weekend, Elon Musk dropped a bombshell on his X/Twitter account, declaring that Nigel Farage was not ‘up for the job’ as leader of Reform. This came just weeks after the pair met at Mar-A-Lago, amid claims Musk is planning to donate to the party.
However, the tech billionaire’s bizarre love-in for Tommy Robinson has driven a wedge between some factions of the limited company. Unlike Musk, Farage wants nothing to do with the man formerly known as Stephen Yaxley-Lennon.
Which Reform councillors have resigned?
Though the MP for Clacton has brushed off this tiff, there are other conflicts that are threatening the peace within Reform. It was revealed by The Guardian on Friday that 10 councillors in Derbyshire – a crucial target area – have resigned in protest.
Reportedly, they were left unhappy with the ‘autocratic’ and ‘disloyal’ leadership style of Mr. Farage, and believe that Ben Habib – a former senior member who was ousted from the party last year – best represents the values of Reform.
Responding to the resignations, Nigel Farage has claimed that the branch in questions has been ‘out of control’ for some time. One of the Amber Valley councillors, Alex Stevenson, came second with 28% of the vote in the last General Election.
Party chair hits back at ‘civil war’ claims
Zia Yusuf, who serves as the Chairman of Reform, has also downplayed the resignations, stating that leaders of the group had already been suspended by the party for ‘fraudulently nominating candidates’:
“The leader of this group of ‘councillors’ was suspended weeks ago by Reform for nominating candidates that failed vetting, and for fraudulently nominating candidates with an invalid DNO certificate.”
“As a result, several of these ‘councillors’ are illegitimate and new elections must be held. Reform stands for the highest standards in public life, and those who commit fraud will always be expelled.” | Zia Yusuf