Two Northants Reform UK councillors quit party to join new rival

More musical chairs as two North unitary councillors quit Reform UK to join Restore Britain

By Sarah Ward

Two Reform UK councillors on North Northamptonshire Council have sensationally quit the party today to join a newly formed rival.

Cllr Jack Goncalvez (Rushden Lakes ward) and Darren Rance (Brickhill & Queensway ward) have been announced as new councillors by the Restore Britain party, which was launched on Friday evening by former Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe.

They follow a number of other councillors from Kent County Council in joining the new party, with Cllr Goncalvez accusing his former party of ‘courting the establishment it claims to oppose’.

This week Reform UK announced its top team, which includes former senior Conservative MPs Suella Braveman and Robert Jenrick.

In a post this afternoon on X cllr Gonzalez said:

“Reform has reneged and continues to renege on its founding purpose, instead seeking to court the establishment it claims to oppose. That could not have been more evident in yesterday’s ‘shadow cabinet’ announcement, in which two of their top positions have been uptaken by those responsible for inflicting the scourge of mass migration upon our country.’

MP Rupert Lowe, who had a public falling out with the party and was suspended from Reform UK in March, wrote on X:

“Reform UK is just more of the same. Old, tired party political bullshit that has failed us all for so many years.”

Nigel Farage’s party has been running the two Northants councils since May. It is expected to make big wins at the upcoming May elections (which are not taking place this time in Northants).

The departure of the two councillors comes the day before the NNC council budget for the next financial year is due to be set. Reform UK now has 39 of the 68 councillors on the authority. They may need most to turn up to get a budget through.

NN Journal has attempted to contact NNC’s leader Cllr Martin Griffiths and Reform UK for comment.