Meet Reform’s ‘regretters’: the councillors quitting just weeks into the job

Over 600 new Reform councillors were elected in the May 2025 local elections – and many seem to have been unprepared for it.

Reform is seeing an unusual number of councillors resigning in their first few weeks in office. In each case, this will trigger a council byelection costing in excess of £20,000.

Here we look at some of them in more depth. Note: this article may be updated to reflect further resignations.

Andrew Kilburn

Durham
Time in office: 9 days

Kilburn won his seat for Reform, but had to resign after it was found that he was ineligible to stand – because he did not disclose that he works for the council.

A Reform spokesperson admitted: “We understand that Mr Kilburn did not declare his employment to the returning officer as expected and is now required to resign his seat.”

Wayne Titley

Staffordshire
Time in office: Less than 2 weeks

Shortly after Wayne Titley was elected, social media posts came to light including one which called for the navy to shoot at small boats in the Channel with a “volley of gunfire aimed at sinking them”.

He then resigned for “personal reasons”, before the first council meeting.

Desmond Clarke

Nottinghamshire
Time in office: 1 week

A week after he was elected, Desmond Clarke stepped down, saying that he was “unable to deliver”.

It is unclear what happened, with a post from the local party referring to “recent changes to Desmond’s personal circumstances”. Another statement claimed that he would not be able to fulfil his duties “while at the same time continuing his career in social care”.

Still councillors… but not Reform councillors

As well as councillors who have quit entirely, some have stayed councillors but resigned from Reform UK.

Shropshire councillor Donna Edmunds was suspended from Reform after saying that she would defect from the party to a new party led by former Reform MP Rupert Lowe. She then quit and branded Reform a “cult”.

After resigning, Edmunds said she no longer has to “watch what I say” and immediately described far right activist Tommy Robinson as a “political prisoner” – showing how Reform councillors hide their true opinions.

In a more unusual case, Warwickshire councillor Luke Shingler – elected for Reform – will sit as an independent as it turns out he works for the RAF. Members of the armed forces are “not permitted to join… a political organisation”.

Bonus: “Dull n boring”

Staffordshire Reform councillor Barry Martin posted on Facebook that he was considering quitting after attending a council meeting and finding it “dull” and “boring”.

He wrote: “Thinking of resigning. Moving on to more interesting things to do, so dull n boring, the next months as far as i can see long long mtgs with contrary ppl”

The post has since been deleted, and Barry is still in office for now – but the next day he was musing again about “endless boring mtgs” and “considering my future”. Watch this space…