Reform UK has its eyes on Fenland for a recruitment drive to find candidates prepared to stand in 2025 as candidates for Cambridgeshire County Council. Buoyed by its performance in the July General Election which saw its candidate streak into second place behind former Tory minister Steve Barclay, Reform leader Nigel Farage has made a direct appeal for candidates.
He may even find support from among current county councillors, especially those faced with the prospect of not being re-selected by the Conservatives to stand in 2025.
CambsNews understands that at least two existing county councillors may lose the support of the North East Cambridgeshire Conservative Association.
One of those most at risk is Simon King of Wisbech, who represents Roman Bank and Peckover and won his seat in 2021 with 1,728 votes.
Also facing the threat of possible de-selection is Dave Connor, who comfortably won the Whittlesey South division with 1,727 votes in 2021, well ahead of Labour in second place with 497 votes.
But NE Cambs Conservatives have a plethora of district councillors, some recently elected, who relish the prospect of adding a county council seat to their portfolio of positions, not least because of the extra allowances it brings in.
At Fenland Council the basic allowance is £5,000 a year but the extra £11,500 as a county councillor is an appealing inducement to consider both.
Whether Reform UK appeals is hard to tell but the stark reality remains they did well against Steve Barclay who saw his majority plummet by more than 30 per cent but still managed a comfortable win with 16,246 votes.
Reform were in second place with their candidate Chris Thornhill polling a respectable 9,057 votes – a thousand votes ahead of Labour in third place.
Now comes the battle to field candidates for the county council next May.
And Farage is confident Reform UK is equipped for the challenge.
He hopes for Conservative defectors to sign up to become candidates, or simply anyone with right wing Tory views to take the plunge.
GB News is today publishing a copy of a letter sent by Farage that specifically targets disaffected Tory councillors in NE Cambridgeshire.
“I’m writing to invite you to join our movement,” says the leaked letter.
“Since July, we’ve been assembling a national election winning machine at historic speed with hundreds of branches already established and over 90,000 active members ready to campaign.
https://www.gbnews.com/politics/nigel-farage-reform-conservative-defections
“By the time of the English county council elections next May, our ground campaign capabilities will be formidable.
“Meanwhile, your party has spent months fighting amongst itself over who can best imitate Reform UK. It faces the choice between a man who’s undergone the most remarkable political damascene conversion and a woman who won’t leave the ECHR.”
Farage adds: “As you’ll be aware, Reform’s national success was replicated in Cambridgeshire – we finished second in North East Cambridgeshire and significantly increased our support in all other seats in the region.
“Over 3,500 people have applied to be a Reform UK candidate for the May elections next year; and we are about to select someone to stand in your seat. Once somebody has been selected, we will not stand them down.
“However; we understand that hundreds of Conservative candidates are despondent at the current state of the party.”
GB News quotes the letter and the claim by Farage that “the Tory brand is broken – not just thanks to the endless scandals it has faced, but also the reality that the party has betrayed the values that it once stood for.
“Reform UK will defend and celebrate those values. As such, our door is open should you consider standing for Reform UK”.
Reform UK currently has 28 local councillors across the UK.
