Reform UK Accuses Departing Councillors of 'Betrayal'
Three Durham councillors who resigned from Reform UK have been accused of betraying voters and those who supported their election.
Reform UK has stated that three councillors who recently resigned from the party have "conned" voters and "betrayed" their supporters. Lyndsey Fox, Nicole Brown, and Paul Sexton have had their party affiliation changed to independent on the Durham County Council website. None of the councillors have provided explicit reasons for their departures.
The resignations reduce Reform UK's majority on the council. The party had secured control of Durham County Council by winning 65 seats in the previous year's election. Currently, the party has 51 councillors, with a reduced majority following these departures.
Council leader Andrew Husband commented that the former members "have let their residents down," but he did not offer explanations for their decisions. Fox, representing Bishop Auckland, confirmed her resignation from Reform to Sky News on Tuesday. She stated that she had reported a "very serious safeguarding issue" to the party on July 14 but had received no response. Details regarding the nature of this safeguarding issue have not been disclosed by either Fox or Reform UK. Fox also alluded to a "group chat going wild" and indicated that she had been contemplating resignation for a significant period.