The Liberal Democrats have established an internal “Reform Watch” system to monitor Nigel Farage’s party in local government, according to Lib Dem leader Ed Davey. He claims that both the Labour and Conservative parties are too fearful of Reform’s threat to hold them accountable.
Davey defended his party’s performance in the recent local elections, attributing their unexpected loss to Reform in some council contests primarily to the collapse of votes for other parties. Despite gaining over 160 councillors and taking control of three new councils, and being the largest party in three others, the Lib Dems came second to Reform in four areas. These regions will form the core of the monitoring project, aimed at scrutinizing Reform’s mayors and councils.
Amanda Hopgood, the opposition leader in Reform-run County Durham, Antony Hook, who serves in the same role in Kent, and Mike Ross, the leader of Hull city council, who came second to Reform’s Luke Campbell for mayor, are leading the project. They will focus on whether Reform-run councils try to cut services.
Davey emphasized the need to observe how Reform councils address issues like special needs and mental illnesses, following Farage’s comments on the alleged overdiagnosis of these conditions. Other areas of monitoring include “culture war” battles, such as Reform’s policy on displaying the Ukraine flag in solidarity, and potential reductions in climate-related initiatives.
Davey stated that the Lib Dems will position themselves as “the antidote to Reform” and take a stand against Farage, who he claims is a supporter of Donald Trump and has received funding from Elon Musk.
While acknowledging the Lib Dems’ strong performance in the elections, Davey recognized their losses in some key regions, such as the Hull and East Yorkshire mayoralty, and their second-place finish in Warwickshire council’s contest against Reform.
Davey insisted that these outcomes did not mean the Lib Dems had underperformed, as they had achieved their goal of removing Warwickshire council from Tory control. He also noted the complexities of the election, including multiparty contests resulting in a council seat being won with less than 19% of the vote.
Davey reassured that the Lib Dems will not be complacent in the face of Reform’s rise and will confront the party head-on, rather than adopting their policies.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/may/11/lib-dems-reform-uk-watch-monitor-party-local-government
