City's Reform UK leader quits over 'vitriolic' texts

Councillor Guy Aston says he was disappointed to receive abuse "from my own side"

The leader of Reform UK on Doncaster Council has stepped down, claiming he had received "vitriolic texts that border on abuse" from members of his own party.

Guy Aston resigned the leadership amid disagreements within the party over a statement in which he supported moves to reopen Doncaster Sheffield Airport.

Meanwhile, Irwen Martin confirmed he had stepped down as the party's local branch chairman and, according to the council's website, Adwick and Carcroft councillor Nicola Brown had quit the party and would sit as an Independent.

A national Reform UK HQ spokesperson thanked Aston for his "hard work and stewardship" and said Karl Hughes would take charge while a new group leader was found.

In a resignation email to his fellow councillors, seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Aston revealed that following a meeting on Thursday, when his own members rejected his attempts to remove Reform UK councillor Jason Charity from his role as chair of the authority's audit committee, he had received a number of "vitriolic" messages.

Aston said: "While I would expect such behaviour from the extreme wing of our opponents, it is disappointing to see it coming from my own side."

He went on to state: "I believed Reform was better than this. Clearly, I was mistaken."

The election of a new Reform UK group leader on Doncaster Council would take place soon, a national party spokesperson said

Disagreements among Reform UK members on Doncaster Council emerged after Aston released a joint statement with the Labour Mayor of Doncaster on Monday stating they were "in agreement" about the need to borrow £57m to re-open Doncaster Sheffield Airport.

Sources within Reform UK expressed anger to the LDRS about the move, seeing it as Aston "getting into bed" with Labour.

The day after the statement was issued, Charity stepped away from Aston's leadership team, leading to Aston's attempt to replace him as chair of the audit committee at Thursday's meeting.

Aston is expected to continue on the backbenches as Reform UK councillor for Wheatley Hills and Intake.

When asked by the LDRS, Irwen Martin, who ran for parliament in Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme in the 2024 general election, did not expand on the reasons for his resignation as Reform UK's Doncaster branch chairman.

Nicola Brown has also been approached by the LDRS for a comment on her resignation from the party and her decision to sit as an Independent.

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