As The Guardian has noted:
A Reform MP, James McMurdock, has given up the party whip while he is investigated over allegations about his business conduct during the coronavirus pandemic.
Lee Anderson, the party's chief whip, made the announcement on Saturday, saying it related to accusations in the Sunday Times over government loans he is alleged to have taken out during the Covid pandemic.
I will not, of course, pre-judge an inquiry. What I will do is point out that this means that 2 of the five Reform MPs elected for that party a year ago have now left or been suspended from it. Losing 40% of your party would, anywhere else, be a sign of massive incompetence. Farage marches on.
But, for how long, I wonder? As the Guardian also notes:
Reform UK's local election wins have led to teenagers being put in charge of vital public services, including a 19-year-old who is overseeing children and family services while at university.
At Leicestershire county council, the Reform councillor Charles Pugsley, 19, has been made the cabinet member for children and family services.
Pugsley's elevation has caused particular concern, as has that of Joseph Boam, a 22-year-old who has been made the deputy council leader and handed the adult social care portfolio, despite having previously expressed the view that “depression isn't real”.
No one on earth thinks a university student is capable of being a cabinet member for children and family services.
Nor should anyone who denies the reality of depression be anywhere near an adult social care portfolio.
However, Reform has placed these exceptionally young adults in charge of providing services to these vulnerable individuals, which is a clear indication of the total contempt that they feel for those in need of care, support, and protection.
These are Farage's nightmares.
He cannot run a parliamentary party because he cannot find candidates who can withstand scrutiny.
He cannot run councils because those elected under the Reform banner to do so do not possess the required competence.
I do not doubt that Leicestershire's council officers will continue to provide services despite what their elected officers do; they have no other statutory choice. But somewhere, sometime, the reality of Reform's record is going to come out, and it is going to be damning for Farage.
My only hope is that no one suffers as a result.
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As is to be expected, Private Eye was first with these stories some weeks ago. But as scandalous as they are, what I find interesting is it seems none of these completely unqualified teenagers, and twenty somethings, appear to have thought that perhaps they should decline the positions given they know sod all about the job, much less about the reality of how local government works. I dare say they were taking “inspiration” from those DOGE kids who Musk put in charge of wrecking the US federal government, and who will go on to make loads of money from their time in the spotlight – as will these Reform kids, of course. Such is the way in the age of social media.
I suspect that they are there for the monetary reward. Local councillors are paid a decent gratuity which increases if they take on a portfolio. Farage is the grifter-in-chief and leads by example. I suspect they will do the minimum required to keep their pay.
For the same reason that teenager councillors should not be allowed to hold Council Cabinet portfolios because they have not had sufficient life experience to be able to exercise judgement on complex policy issues, (minimum age of 25 for Council candidates I would propose, although that may still be too young), I think candidates for Parliament should be at least 27, a few years older than for councillors as the casework is more complex). I base this on my experience of working in MPs’ offices in the U.K. Parliament for around 30 years. Trying to sort out immigration, nationality, planning disputes, housing, welfare benefits, road safety, local education, local hospital, waste disposal sites, noise nuisance, crime, poverty, disability, personal finance and debt, and other constituency issues is complex and time consuming. Constituents often turn to their MP if trying their local councillor proves fruitless? Thus often making MPs executive social workers.The legislation is complicated and the citizens’ rights are not always easy to establish. Experience is needed to know how to address these case work challenges. Youth and inexperience are not beneficial assets. AI should be a helpful tool I never had access to when I worked in Westminster because it did not then exist. However, I did have access to the best political library and librarian experts in Britain, the House of Commons Library.Their bespoke briefings are utterly brilliant, and are used as authoritative sources by all MPs ( including ministers). You could ask your MP to pass on the generic ones produced ( they are all in electronic form now) on a specified subject. Expert briefings are produced for all Bills and their debates and for many other Parliamentary debates.
Much to agree with, including age limits.
Don’t most MPs just employ researchers?
I agree about the age limit, although I thought that the SNP MP Mhairi Black was probably the exception that proved the rule.
Agreed
Note also that there were two council by-elections last week where Reform councillors, elected in May, have already stepped down – in one case because they were a council employee and were therefore ineligible to stand in the first place! In both seats, Reform lost the by-elections, in one case to the Lib Dems and in the other to the Tories.
But Reform stll leads national opinion polls. Heaven knows why.
Technically a local authority employee can stand as a council candidate, but if they are elected they must resign their job or their seat. I don’t know if the Reform candidate was unaware of the rule or just hoped no-one would notice as he did not choose which role to resign immediately.
On the other hand, Reform won the council by-election in Stocksbridge (north Sheffield) part of the Westminster constituency of Miriam Cates, who lost to Labour in 2024 due to half of the right-wing votes going to Reform.
In this case, the Reform councillor is a middle-aged white man who had previous experience with UKIP.
Superficially attractive (=populist) policies plus a credible candidate (‘seems like a sensible bloke’ or ‘my kind of person’); add a good slice of funding for media and publicity; and Reform can make a strong attack on Labour’s reclaimed ‘red wall’ seats at local or general elections.
Bernadette Devlin /McAliskey was a pretty good MP at 21 years of age. Age is less of an issue than the effects of growing up in the stultifying class background of the privileged and entitled that these youngsters have had to endure. (JS, aged 77 and a 1/2)
Noted. But generally it is nit a good idea and creates people with no other life experience if they stay.
Perhaps I have the solution as to why Reform are still leading the polls. (Stress needs to be put on this not being supported by rigorous research.)
I live in a quiet rural part of the country. Amongst those I have come into contact with since buying a house here 4 years ago, political opinion has gotten more reactionary. Typically everything going wrong has to have a scapegoat. Housing shortage? Immigrants to blame. Not enough police? Liberals won’t let them knock seven bells out of those they know to be criminals. Lack of job opportunities? Immigrants. I could go on.
My advice to the soon to be launched left of centre party: always attach a scapegoat to a policy. We live in a blame culture and we have to have hate figures. You can’t win without them. Bully billionaire bosses, greedy rich etc etc
This is not new. Remember Harold Wilson was going “to soak the rich”.