Reform UK Faces Internal Revolt in Birmingham Over Candidate Selection

Reform UK volunteers and community champions in Northfield have reacted with anger after party chiefs announced their choices to stand in the upcoming city council elections. The announcement has sparked claims of bullying and empire building within the party's local ranks.

Internal Feuds Come to Light

Internal divisions have erupted into public view following Reform UK's announcement of its first wave of candidates for the local elections on May 7 in Birmingham. One of the party's most prominent activists, Paul Smith, has declared he will now stand as an Independent candidate in Allens Cross. This decision comes after he was unexpectedly removed as the party's candidate despite months of dedicated campaigning and voluntary work.

According to disgruntled insiders who spoke to BirminghamLive, the party is deeply divided by in-fighting. Some local leaders are accused of being only interested in power and not caring about the people of Birmingham. The right-wing party, led by Nigel Farage, is strongly tipped to win a significant number of seats in Birmingham and could potentially become the leading political group on the city council after next month's all-out elections.

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Leadership Team and National Context

Reform UK's local leadership team includes former Labour, Conservative, and Gaza Independent advocates who have switched allegiances, alongside long-standing ex-UKIP supporters. Recent national polling suggests that Reform will benefit from widespread anger and disillusionment with mainstream parties, particularly Labour and Conservatives. Party leader Nigel Farage has declared that Birmingham is Broken and that Reform will Fix It.

The party already controls 12 councils and two mayoralties, with more councils likely to follow after the local elections in May. However, insiders are calling on national leaders to pay more attention to events in Birmingham. They claim the party is not leveraging its strengths in local communities and is taking residents for granted, assuming they will vote Reform regardless of who is put forward as a candidate.

One Reform veteran stated: There are some in the party who think they could stick a rosette on a donkey and they would get in. They are trusting that voters won't care who is in the council chamber.

Another Reform insider added: Birmingham people have had a rough deal and if Reform are serious about changing things they need to put together a team of people who really care about the city and the communities they represent, or it will be short lived. They further claimed: The problem is that the national leadership only care about getting the keys to Number 10. They don't have an appetite for running councils on a day to day basis, except as a stepping stone to Westminster.

Key Local Figures and Selection Controversies

Among the key figures in Reform UK locally are Midlands regional director Pete Durnell and Birmingham organiser Rajbir Singh. Singh was previously in the Labour Party and served as Labour leader in Sandwell briefly before stepping down for personal reasons. He has since reinvented himself as a Reform advocate. His wife, Harnoor Bhullar, remains a Sandwell Labour councillor.

Also said to wield considerable local influence is Reform advocate Jay Anandou, who was formerly a Conservative councillor in Sandwell and later switched to become a pro-Palestine independent in the 2024 General Election in Smethwick. Critics allege that this trio is sidelining hard-working community champions in Birmingham in favor of individuals who support Singh as a potential future council leader.

The party had soft selected several community activists to stand for specific wards last year, promising that their efforts would be considered in final selections. However, local members had no say in these selections, which were determined solely by a leadership group.

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Paul Smith's Case and Independent Bid

When Reform UK announced its Northfield constituency candidates earlier this week, Paul Smith was notably excluded. A former Tory turned Reform supporter, Smith had been championing the party in Allens Cross for over a year and had built a strong local following. Despite his months of community activism—combined with a national role at the Ministry of Defence and as a Royal Navy reservist—he learned he would not be selected as the candidate for the ward.

Smith had intended to donate his councillor's salary to local causes, including the food bank, if elected. He has now decided to stand as an Independent, believing that the chosen Reform candidate, Eddie Freeman—a former Tory councillor—will benefit from the groundwork Smith has laid locally. Smith is determined not to let that happen.

He revealed that he received a message from Reform on Tuesday informing him of his suspension from the party, based on a claim by a local branch chair that Smith intended to quit Reform if elected. The complaint was made just before selections closed, leaving Smith no time to appeal. I feel I've been treated very unfairly, he said.

In a statement on his Facebook page, Smith wrote: This was not my call. After working tirelessly for the people of Allens Cross they dropped me at the last minute. They asked me to stand in Quinton but I refused as I have no affiliation (with the area) and have principles. I asked the leadership of Birmingham Reform to reconsider their decision. To say I'm disappointed is an understatement. Remember this betrayal by the leadership of Reform on May 7th.

Other Controversial Selections and Legal Action

The party has selected former Conservative councillor Eddie Freeman for Allens Cross, who lives in the area but had been campaigning to stand in Weoley Castle. Among those congratulating Freeman was Rebecca Waters, who has been chosen to stand for Reform in the Rubery and Rednal seat over candidates based in the ward. Waters, who is from Redditch and has business interests in Bromsgrove, has faced criticism over a social media post.

She posted a racist trope alleging that Independent MP Mohamed Iqbal was pushing for an Islamist takeover, sharing an edited clip of him speaking at a Your Party gathering in Birmingham to support her false claim. She also referred to him as British in quotation marks. After BirminghamLive brought the clip to the attention of party headquarters, it appears to have been deleted.

Another disgruntled former Reform member is ex-Tory councillor Nigel Dawkins, who had been appointed as community champion for Weoley. After raising complaints of bullying, he was removed from the role in January. Dawkins has since successfully sued the party for £965 in small claims court over expenses he incurred while volunteering for Reform. Court documents seen by BirminghamLive also included allegations of bullying within the local party setup. The claim was not contested by Reform, who have been ordered to pay.

Reform UK's Response and Candidate List

When asked about the decision to drop Smith, Waters' Facebook post, and the Dawkins court case, Reform UK refused to discuss any of these issues or provide a response. Instead, they issued a statement celebrating their selections so far.

The statement read: We are delighted to confirm Reform UK will have a full slate of candidates across for the election on May 7 ready to fight to end Labour’s reign of terror in Birmingham. The candidates are from all backgrounds and many of them are making their first steps into politics. However, they have one thing in common - they all agree that Nigel Farage is right when he says Birmingham is broken and want to step forward to begin fixing it. Over the coming weeks, candidates will be introducing themselves in their communities. Our teams have been working tirelessly over the winter preparing for this. There is a real sense on the doorstep that Birmingham needs reform. We have what we believe is the strongest team to undo the damage the established parties have inflicted on this city. Bring on May 7.

The candidates selected by Reform UK for the Northfield constituency are: