Jeremy Corbyn has been active in politics for the best part of 50 years. To call him a stalwart of government would be an understatement. However, the senior Parliamentarian doesn’t have much time for the latest uptake of Reform councillors…
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Reform councillors make bumpy start to life in office
The MP for Islington pretty much hit the nail on the head while delivering his assessment of the newly elected representatives of the party. Despite the recent local elections only being held one month ago, 17 Reform councillors have since left the party and their positions of power.
Most of these have brought the organisation into disrepute, with reasons ranging from racism to pornography ranking among the dismissals. The latest to hand in his turquoise rosette was Billy Burke, a Reform councillor in Telford who was suspended following a charge of possession an offensive weapon.
Some of those that do hang around have also failed to give a good account of themselves. Councillors in Kirklees, Leeds went for viral for admitting the didn’t know what an amendment was, leading one opposition party member to quip that ‘the first day of school can be hard’.
This perceived unprofessionalism has hampered Reform’s efforts to prove themselves as a serious contender for national government. Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labour party leader, sardonically summarised a chaotic 13 months for the right-leaning party on Sunday.
‘They think it’s all about the flags they put up’ – Jeremy Corbyn
He mocked their lack of preparation, calling most of the Reform councillors ‘clueless’ and blaming their lack of interest for them ‘simply disappearing’. He also landed a stinging rebuke, stating that many of the new cohort believe their jobs are all about ‘the flags they put up outside town halls’.
“Where Reform have gained control of local authorities, two things seem to happen. First, many of their councillors seem completely unprepared for it and don’t do any further preparation, so they don’t have any clue what they are doing.”
“They don’t understand the structures and they don’t have any interest in it, then some of them simply disappear. Secondly, they think the whole thing about being in a local authority is the flags you put up outside the town hall, rather than what you actually do.” | Jeremy Corbyn