Shaking it up as region's first Reform councillor

Anita Stanley remembers the moment she discovered Reform UK.

She was invited along to the conference in Birmingham last year and got a "real feel" for the party and its values. She had found her new political home.

Previously a "floating voter", she had spent a number of years exploring her alliances from the Conservatives to the Greens and Liberal Democrats.

So why now Reform?

"I believed in what they were saying and I connected with the honesty, truth and integrity," she told me.

Stanley became the first elected Reform UK councillor in the West Midlands, after victory in a Bilston North by-election in October.

Nigel Farage's new party is faring much better than the UK Independence Party (Ukip) - which he was previously leader of - with five MPs winning seats for Reform in the general election.

Despite suffering many of the same problems as Ukip, with allegations of racism and misogyny in some quarters of its committed supporters, the party leader is on a serious mission to continue its rapid rise in popularity.

Known for her turquoise nails during the campaign, Stanley recognises some people as we walk along Bilston High Street – but many are not aware they have a Reform councillor here.

It is no surprise - after all, the by-election turnout was just 19% in this Wolverhampton ward.

Councillor Stanley beat her Labour opponent by 181 votes.

"I didn't realise the shake-up I was creating as the first Reform councillor here, "she says.

At the time it made national news – Stanley was elected in a Labour stronghold which has been part of MP Pat McFadden's constituency since 2005.

In total, 4.1 million people voted for Reform in the general election, equivalent to a national vote share of 14.3%.

In the West Midlands, they outperformed that with a vote share of 18.1%, perhaps no surprise in a region which largely supported Brexit.

The first shopper we come across is Tony Jones, a retiree from Wolverhampton.

"Nigel Farage has got as good a chance as anyone of running this country," he tells Stanley.

"The Labour Party have made a complete hash of it with the winter fuel payment cut. Labour is supposed to be for the working class."

The councillor nods her head. She is a pensioner and says she no longer receives the payment either.

Stanley admits being a councillor was not originally on the agenda for her retirement plans after she left her teaching job at Wolverhampton College.

"I never dreamt that I would be a Reform councillor but I just believed in what they were trying to do for the country," she says.

"A lot of people here are very proud to be Bilstonians but these people feel that they have been let down by the council and the government.

"They feel forgotten, ignored and taken for granted."

According to Reform's membership counter, the party has more than 182,000 members which they claim is more than the Conservatives.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch infuriated Nigel Farage when she accused him of faking the growth, claiming the counter was "coded to tick up automatically". He demanded an apology from her.

But while Reform has grown rapidly, it has not been without controversy.

Pete Durnell joined the party on a voluntary basis in 2021 and is now in a paid position as their regional organiser for the West Midlands.

We meet in Smethwick, where he came second as the Reform candidate in the general election.

"The party is completely focused on getting into government for 2028-29 and we believe we can do it," he says.

I ask him about the number of Reform candidates who made headlines during the campaign as they faced allegations around racism and misogyny.

"Our vetting wasn't up to scratch by any means in the general election," he admits.

"We had candidates go through that shouldn't have done and it is very much our focus to make sure that doesn't happen again.

"We have a really professional team which we are building up really rapidly. In the meantime our progress will be measured on the various local elections."

As the party moves forward, it is likely to be scrutinised over their so-called contract with the people in last year's election and whether any of it is workable.

Promises included cutting £5 out of every £100 in government spending within 100 days, ending shortages of doctors and nurses over the same time and a freeze on non-essential immigration.

Other political parties said these promises cannot be achieved and criticised Reform.

Ahead of the general election, the Institute for Fiscal Studies said Reform's financial plans were "problematic" as their proposed tax cuts and spending increases did not add up.

Andrew Southall describes himself as a "regular working guy".

He is a 33-year-old businessman who stood as the Reform candidate in Dudley during the general election.

We meet in Victoria Park in Smethwick.

He appears relaxed today but just a few weeks back he posted an explosive video on social media seen by more than 100,000 people.

It came after the former Tory MP for Dudley, Marco Longhi, announced he was defecting to Reform.

In his video, Mr Southall posed a question to Farage and chairman Zia Yusuf: "Are favourable seats being offered to Tory defectors as a nailed on promise?"

Mr Southall has since resigned as the branch chair of Reform UK Dudley.

"I wanted to ask a question on behalf of the grassroots about the selection process for future elections and if defectors are promised anything," he told me.

"Richard Tice has assured me that the selection process will be an even keel for everybody."

Dr Matt Cole is a politics expert at the University of Birmingham.

"At the moment Reform are looking very strong for what is nominally a minor party. They only have five seats in parliament," he said.

"Initially the support came from disillusioned voters who perhaps didn't vote before at all, then it came from Conservatives and now it's beginning to come from Labour.

"No party can really sit easy with the increase in Reform's support."

Winding up in Bilston, councillor Stanley said she was sure there was bright future ahead for Reform.

Whether they can turn that positivity into votes in the local elections this May is yet to be seen.

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