Just nine of 29 defectors to Farage's Reform are new

Nigel Farage’s unveiling of 29 new Reform UK councillors fell apart within less than an hour as it emerged just nine are new, with only three of those standing for election.

- A R C H I E M I T C H E L L, D A V I D M A D D O X

The Reform leader used a press conference at a swanky London hotel yesterday to unveil the slew of new councillors, claiming their defections proved “this party is very much on the up”.

But the lack of high-profile names among the new defectors fed speculation that a steady stream of turncoats has largely dried up as a result of a bitter spat between Mr Farage and Rupert Lowe, the ousted ex-Reform MP.

The Conservatives said Mr Farage was seeking to distract from the open warfare engulfing Reform and hoodwink journalists. Tory officials pointed out that while Mr Farage claimed all the councillors had defected in the past two weeks, four had joined Reform a month or more before the press conference.