Independents join Reform UK in first for Essex

Reform leader Nigel Farage invited Richard Everett and Peter Harris on stage (right)

Four councillors have become the first in Essex to join Reform UK.

They were unveiled by party leader Nigel Farage during a rally at the Princes Theatre in Clacton, where he is standing as a candidate in the general election.

Jeff Bray and Peter Harris, of the Tendring Residents Alliance Group, were joined in the move by Richard Everett and James Codling.

Mr Bray, who was previously in UKIP and then the Conservatives, said: "People shouldn’t live by rosettes. Reform does things others wouldn’t dream of."

Jeff Bray says he's been "thanked" by constituents for moving to Reform

The so-called Farage Four were previously registered as independents on Tendring District Council, which is an independent-run coalition supported by Labour and the Liberal Democrats.

They took control of the council following local elections last May, with the authority having previously been run by the Conservatives since 2009.

On his journey to Reform, Mr Bray, who was leader of the Residents Alliance Group, said: "I was in the Conservative Party and it was the only party near my views. Most people accept the Conservatives are not doing what they used to, and so you look at what’s next.

"There will be people who agree with me and people who don’t. I have received lots of correspondence from people thanking me for moving over."

'Political football'

The leader of the Conservative group on the council, Paul Honeywood, said: "My view is that it is up to individual councillors to decide how best to represent their constituents.

"My concern is that our constituency gets turned into a political football that serves the ambitions of certain individuals."

Labour’s Ivan Henderson, the deputy leader of the council, said: "These four councillors have moved from party to party and have shown no loyalty to party or residents.

"They are using the electorate to further their own means."

It is the first time anywhere in Essex that Reform UK has had registered councillors.

You can find a full list of candidates standing in the Clacton constituency here

Got a story? Email [e-mail] or WhatsApp us on 0800 169 1830