Farage unveils two Labour defectors as he makes a push for London votes
While Nigel Farage is struggling to get votes in the capital before the local elections, he announced two senior names from the Labor Party in London politics as the latest names to leave Reform.
At a press conference in London, Mr Farage welcomed Sir Robin Wales, the former Labor mayor of Newham, and former councilor Clive Furness to Reform the UK.
Mr Farage admitted his party’s “weakness” was due to a lack of “frontline experience”.
The most prominent defectors so far have been right-wing Conservatives such as Robert Jenrick, Suella Braverman and Nadine Dorries.
Sir Robin claimed Labor had changed under Sir Keir Starmer because it had “lost its moral compass”.
He claimed that the old two parties had “failed” and denied that Reform was “racist”.
Sir Robin has been appointed as the party’s London Local Government Director, while Mr Furness will serve as his senior adviser and will be Reform UK’s candidate for Mayor of Newham.
Sir Robin said: “After decades of fighting for working people in Newham, I have seen Labor abandon its roots. Under the leadership of Sadiq Khan and Labor across London, the capital has seen rising crime, failing services and a party that prioritizes wealthy elites over the working class it was founded to represent.”
“There will be a referendum on Sadiq Khan and Labor in May. Only Reform represents working people and offers a real, credible alternative plan to Labor in London.”
Mr Furness added: “The Labor Party has clearly and demonstrably failed in London. It is sad to see that even Newham, a borough that Sir Robin and I managed to lift out of deprivation, has now gone completely backwards under a Labor mayor and Labor council who are completely out of touch with the communities they are supposed to represent.”
“That’s why I’m joining Reform UK. In May the choice is clear: same high crime, high tax regime with Labor or real change with Reform.”
