Nigel Farage has unveiled two senior Labour figures in London politics as the latest defectors to Reform as he makes a push for votes in the capital ahead of the local elections.
Mr Farage welcomed Sir Robin Wales, the former Labour mayor of Newham and former councillor Clive Furness to Reform UK at a press conference in London.
Mr Farage admitted that his party’s “weakness” is a lack of “experience on the front line”.
Until now the most prominent defectors have been right-wing Tories like Robert Jenrick, Suella Braverman and Nadine Dorries.
Sir Robin claimed he was switching because Labour “has lost its moral compass” under Sir Keir Starmer.
He claimed that the old two parties “have failed” and denied that Reform is “racist”.
Sir Robin has been appointed as the party’s London Director of Local Government, while Mr Furness will serve as his senior advisor and stand as Reform UK’s candidate for Mayor of Newham.
Sir Robin said: “After decades fighting for working people in Newham, I’ve seen Labour abandon its roots. Under Sadiq Khan and the Labour leadership across London, the capital has seen soaring crime, failing services, and a party that prioritises the wealthy elite over the working class it was built to represent.
“May will be a referendum on Sadiq Khan and the Labour Party. Only Reform stands for working people and is presenting a real, credible alternative plan to Labour in London.”
Mr Furness added: “Labour has clearly and demonstrably failed London. It’s sad to see that even Newham, a borough that Sir Robin and I managed to lift out of deprivation, has gone completely backwards under a Labour mayor and a Labour council that is now completely out-of-touch with the communities it was meant to represent.
“That’s why I am joining Reform UK. In May the choice is clear: more of the same high crime, high tax regime with Labour, or real change with Reform.”
