Twenty-nine councillors defect to Reform UK-OxBig News Network

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has welcomed 29 councillors to his party following defections from parties including the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats.

It takes the party’s total number of council seats to 114.

Speaking at a press conference in Westminster, Farage said the defections demonstrated how his party was “broadening and deepening”.

However, it comes as some Reform members are expressing concern about the party’s leadership and the suspension of MP Rupert Lowe from the party.

Farage acknowledged that his party had experience a “little bit of turbulence” over the past few weeks.

He acknowledged the suspension of Lowe had caused “consternation” adding: “Any argument that’s seen to happen within the family does, but I can promise you that in terms of our progress and our planning, that upset is very much at the edges.”

Lowe, the MP for Great Yarmouth, was suspended by the party and referred to police over allegations he made “threats of physical violence” against party chairman Zia Yusuf.

The party also said it had received allegations of bullying in Lowe’s parliamentary and constituency office.

Lowe has said the party’s allegations are “untrue and false”. He argued he had been suspended for criticising Farage in a newspaper interview.

Addressing the row, Farage said: “We’ve been increasingly concerned about the behaviour of one of our members of Parliament, and when we found out that some serious complaints have gone in, we thought, you know what, let’s just suspend the whip and let’s find out what the truth is, and we will wait.”

He said the report they had commissioned into to the allegations could be completed this week.

Farage also criticised “the online abuse and frankly outright racism” directed at Yusuf in recent weeks.

He said the public spat with Lowe would not “put a dent” in Reform UK’s electoral chances, as the party gears up for local elections on 1 May.

“We’re going to be out there canvassing, campaigning, and doing our best to prove that the polls aren’t virtual, actually, the real votes exist out there on the ground.”

The party has said it plans to stand in all the council seats that are due to hold elections in May.

Of Reform UK’s 114 councillor seats, 15 have been won through elections, including seven from Labour and four from the Conservatives.

The remaining 99 seats have turned Reform UK through defections – 62 of those defections have happened since the beginning of the year.

The majority of the defections (67) were originally elected as Conservative councillors. Three came from Labour and one came from the Liberal Democrats.

The rest were independent councillors or came from local parties.