‘We’ve got more teeth’: Mansfield Independent councillors defect to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK

Coun Mick Barton, who represents the Forest Town ward and was leader of the Mansfield Independents Group, says he has defected alongside fellow Forest Town Coun, Martin Wright, and Coun Barry Answer, for Rufford.

Mansfield District Council’s political leadership has been in a tug-of-war between Labour and the Mansfield Independent Group for more than a decade.

The group regained control of the council in 2015, having lost it to Labour in 2011 – despite managing to keep its executive mayor at the time.

In the 2019 election, the Mansfield Independents lost overall control of the council and a Labour mayor was elected.

However the council was left with no overall control from any political party or group.

The situation for the group worsened in 2023 when it suffered a near total wipeout, and Labour consequently took overall control of the authority.

Coun Barton finished third in the mayoral poll and the group’s numbers slumped from 13 councillors to four in the chamber.

“We took a hiding in the last election,” he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

“I feel the time is right and Reform is going somewhere.

“I’m hoping we can get the Mansfield branch [of Reform] growing. It has 500 members already.”

Reform UK is the re-branded Brexit Party, and its leader, Mr Farage, previously stood as the figurehead of the UK Independence Party (UKIP).

Coun Barton said while he doesn’t totally agree with some things said by Reform’s leadership, the group decided to join because he agrees with many of the party’s ideas, including electoral reform.

Mr Barton is not the only councillor who disagreed with some things said by the party’s leadership, as Mansfield Coun Sid Walker, a former member of Reform UK, announced that he left the party due to his “dissatisfaction” with its management.

In a public Facebook post, he expressed that the party is “no different” from other political parties.

Reform’s press office has been contacted for an official comment in response to Coun Walker’s statement and claims.

Mr Anderson said: “Reform has a very strict vetting process which in place to ensure no unsavoury characters fall through the net.

“I cannot comment on individual branches but I personally know many members of our Mansfield branch and I trust them to make to correct decisions”.

In its 2024 manifesto, Reform called for a referendum on proportional representation (PR).

Proportional Representation is not a voting system, but the idea that seats in Parliament should reflect the proportion of votes cast, and that this can be achieved through systems other than ‘First Past the Post’ – the current system – which dicates whichever candidate gets the most votes wins, even if more people overall did not vote for them because they opted for a range of other candidates.

In the 2024 General Election Labour won 63 per cent of seats with just under 34 per cent of all votes nationwide, while the Green Party and Reform UK won nine seats between them, or just over one per cent, with a combined share of 21 per cent.

“It’s a fairer way of doing it,” Coun Barton added.

Supporters of First Past the Post point out it means MPs serve the constituency they campaign in.

This makes them more inclined to tackle important local issues.

Coun Barton added: “The national picture is control of borders, which we would want, but it is more about the local picture for us because I do not have a say in [national].

“I want to make sure residents are heard. We are joining a national party so we’ve got more teeth.

“I’ve chosen to move now because I did not want to move when we had control of the council.

“Reform I think is going to be one of the biggest parties in the country. A lot of residents say more power to the elbow.”

Ashfield MP Lee Anderson defected to Reform from the Conservative Party in March this year.

He had been suspended from the Tories having refused to apologise for claims Islamists had “control” of London Mayor Sadiq Khan.

Mr Anderson was first elected in 2019 as an MP having previously served as a Labour councillor in his home town.

“l am delighted that Mick, Barry and Martin have decided to get on board with the people’s army,” Mr Anderson added in a statement.

“Councillors from all over the country are joining us because they know that Reform UK is the only party that is taking the fight to Labour and Keir Starmer.”

Just this week Mr Farage wrote to every Conservative councillor seeking re-election, asking them to defect to his party.