Can Reform beat Labour in County Durham's local elections?
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage says he is parking his party's tanks on Labour's lawns as he senses an opportunity to win a slew of council seats in the local elections on 1 May.Perhaps nowhere would be more symbolic of that boast than winning big in County Durham. It is the home of the annual Miners' Gala, after all, a parade of working-class pride and heritage that Labour would like to think sums up its traditional values.And it was in a speech in a working men's club in Newton Aycliffe in Durham that Farage made his intention to park his tanks and win over Labour voters clear.It was his second visit to the county in a week and although he has refused to make predictions on how many councillors he may have after polling day, privately some of his candidates are dreaming of getting the 50 wins needed to take control.
That would be some advance.The only Reform UK councillors to sit on Durham County Council were four former Conservatives who defected in the dying days of the current council.
But this could be a perfect scenario for Reform UK to exploit.Labour is already a wounded beast in County Durham.At the last county election in 2021, the party failed to get a majority in the council chamber for the first time in a century.There were signs of a comeback last July when the party won all six parliamentary seats in Sir Keir Starmer's landslide General Election win, but any feel-good factor disappeared rapidly as Labour lost ground in the polls.Soon it became clear this would be another tough local election year.
'Neglected voters'
But Reform UK also has another target - the coalition of Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and independents that has run Durham County Council since 2021.As well as attacking Labour, Reform's leaflets have accused the administration of waste and failure."Durham is broken," according to the Farage rhetoric.Labour has also been on the attack against the coalition, but Reform UK believes County Durham's traditional loyalties have been shredded.One of their candidates is former GB News presenter Darren Grimes, who has returned to where he grew up to fight for a council seat."You could put a donkey with a red rosette on it at one point and it would win," Grimes said."But no-one I know is voting Labour now. They are in really dire straits because they have neglected voters here for much too long."What we are hearing is that we are going to do very well and County Hall better be ready because we are going to get the auditors in and make sure every penny is being spent wisely."
But the different groups running the council believe their track record in the last four years shows they can be trusted to remain in charge.Liberal Democrat Amanda Hopgood has been its leader since 2021, and says the coalition has shown what life after Labour can be like."We came in on the back of an unpopular 100 years of Labour control with them not listening to residents," Hopgood said."What we've done is come in and delivered what we promised."We've seen four years of growth as a county, we've got 8,000 more jobs than four years ago and we've delivered investment here at a level never seen before."
And the council's Conservative deputy leader, Richard Bell, said Reform UK's accusations of waste were nonsense."I'm in charge of finance, and although budgets have been very tight over the years, we've looked to make efficiencies, and we've managed to protect frontline services," Bell said."So I think Conservative councils, or Conservative-influenced councils, are certainly well run."The leader of one of the independent groupings that joined the administration said they have also contributed to a successful blend.Councillor John Shuttleworth said: "When you're an independent person, not tied to any party, you can say your piece and make your own mind up."You're not governed by the whip. [The coalition] has worked reasonably well. There have been no fall-outs of any description."
'Time for change'
But Labour has criticised the controlling groups for raising council tax and accused them of failing to invest in the poorest communities. The party's candidates insist that on the doorstep, the reception is not as hostile as their opponents claim.Group leader Councillor Carl Marshall said: "I think it's time for change. "County Durham can look forward with a bit of optimism to what Labour are going to deliver if we are successful."That's going to include tackling issues with off-road bikes, anti-social behaviour, working to bring investment back to our high streets and putting the council back where it should be in the community."Another political party looking to make gains - the Green Party- believes it is insurgents and not previous incumbents who are best placed.Their only current councillor, Jonathan Elmer, says it is clear voters are looking somewhere other than Labour for change."We know when we ask the question on the doorstep that people are choosing Greens and Reform, and Reform not because they believe in their far-right agenda, but because they are protesting about mainstream politics," Elmer said."My message is if you elect a Green councillor, that's a sensible protest vote, you're actually getting somebody who's going to work hard week in and week out."
So competition in County Durham is fierce. Apart from Nigel Farage, the county has also had recent campaign visits from Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey, Green co-leader Carla Denyer and Labour's Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy.However there is no question that Reform UK is shaking up this race, and has momentum.The party knows strong gains would add to the sense of trepidation many northern "red wall" Labour MPs are already feeling.But we have been here before.UKIP and the Brexit Party both threatened to break the mould in the North, but then faded away.
There is a confidence about Nigel Farage this time, though, because with both Labour and the Conservatives struggling, he is sitting pretty.But should Reform UK perform as they hope - and actually have to run councils - rhetoric could meet reality.Nigel Farage has promised Elon Musk-style efficiency measures - Doges (Departments of Government Efficiency) for councils - to slash spending and transform local government finances.Council tax payers in places like County Durham would no doubt welcome an end to rising bills, but as anyone who has run a local authority knows, a majority of the money is spent on social care, and room for manoeuvre beyond that is strictly limited.As Labour is finding in government, being the incumbents and facing tough choices is not a recipe for popularity.But we will have to wait till after polling day to see whether Reform UK will move from insurgency to power in Labour's heartlands.
Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Western Telegraph
24 minutes ago
- Western Telegraph
Farage's Reform will ‘let the SNP in', Badenoch warns
She said 'Scottish people deserve better' than another five years of John Swinney's party in power at Holyrood. Hitting out at Reform – which claimed on Friday to now have 11,000 members in Scotland – she said for Mr Farage's party, the union between Scotland and England is 'just not that important'. In contrast, Mrs Badenoch stressed the Conservatives will 'always be proud' of the union. 'Our party will always be ready to protect Scotland's place in the United Kingdom,' she added. Kemi Badenoch said the Tories are 'under new leadership' with her in charge of the UK party and Russell Findlay as the Scottish leader (Andrew Milligan/PA) She claimed for Labour and Sir Keir Starmer, belief in the union is 'negotiable', like 'every so-called promise' the Prime Minister makes. Speaking at the Scottish Conservative Party conference in Edinburgh on Friday, Mrs Badenoch said: 'We know that when it really matters, like on gender or free speech or taxes, Labour will fold and vote with the SNP.' She went on to say: 'In April this year, Nigel Farage said he would be fine with the SNP winning another five years in power. 'He's fine with another five years of higher bills, longer waiting lists, declining school standards, gender madness, and ultimately, independence.' Addressing her first Scottish conference since taking on the top job, Mrs Badenoch claimed: 'Reform will vote to let the SNP in, Conservatives will only ever vote to get the nationalists out.' Her speech came just over a week after a Holyrood by-election in which the Tories came fourth, well behind Reform in third. Meanwhile an opinion poll has suggested Mr Farage's party could come second in next May's Holyrood election. Kemi Badenoch was speaking at her first Scottish Conservative conference since becoming UK party leader (Andrew Milligan/PA) In that ballot, Mrs Badenoch said Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay will 'put forward a different way of doing things to the SNP and Labour'. She promised the Tories will fight the election on a platform of 'positive new policies to fire up economic growth, create opportunities for workers and businesses, reward aspiration with lower taxes, and improve school standards'. Mrs Badenoch told the conference: 'Under my leadership, and with Russell Findlay in charge in Scotland, my party knows where it stands. 'With your help, we will renew Conservative policies with common sense.' She accepted in her speech the Tories in power at Westminster 'didn't always get things right'. But Mrs Badenoch insisted her election, coupled with Mr Findlay taking over to head the Scottish party last year, mean they are 'under new leadership'. She told supporters the Tories will 'once again represent everyone across Scotland and the United Kingdom who believes the same things that we do'. Adding that she is 'renewing this party', she declared: 'This speech isn't about looking back. It's about the future. Our future.' 🗣️ @KemiBadenoch: "The Conservative & Unionist Party is ready to fight for a common-sense future for Scotland and an even stronger United Kingdom."#SCC25 — Scottish Conservatives (@ScotTories) June 13, 2025 Part of that 'positive vision of the future' includes 'standing up' for the North Sea oil and gas industry, with Mrs Badenoch claiming that by increasing the energy profits levy – also known as the windfall tax – the Tories had introduced, Labour is 'killing the oil and gas industry'. Speaking about the levy, she said: 'Frankly if it is allowed to remain in place until 2030, as is Labour's current plan, there will be no industry left to tax. 'Thousands will have been made unemployed and all the while we import more gas from overseas – from the very same basin in which we are banned from drilling.' She called on the UK Government to remove the energy profits levy, as she added that the Tories would also 'scrap the ban on new licences' for oil and gas developments that has been imposed since Labour came to power. 'We will champion our own industry,' Mrs Badenoch told supporters. 'We will let this great British, great Scottish industry thrive, grow and create jobs – ensuring our energy security for generations to come and making Scotland richer in the process.' She also pledged the Tories will spend more on defence, saying this is crucial as 'our world becomes even more dangerous'. Citing conflict in the Middle East as well as in Ukraine, Mrs Badenoch said it 'becomes even harder to understand why Labour didn't use the spending review this week to set out a clear plan to get to 3% on defence spending'. The Tories, she insisted, will 'stand by Scotland's defence industry to build the security equipment and systems that keep us safe'.
North Wales Chronicle
an hour ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Warning over assisted dying TikTok adverts as MPs further debate Bill
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill has returned to the Commons for further debate, with an ad ban among the issues discussed. The Bill is undergoing a second day of report stage on Friday, with various amendments being debated and possibly voted on. Its third reading – where a vote is taken on the overall Bill – could take place next Friday. Opening debate, Labour MP Kim Leadbeater proposed an amendment to her Bill which would impose a duty on the Government to make regulations prohibiting advertisements to promote services relating to voluntary assisted dying should the legislation pass. She has previously said it 'would feel inappropriate for this to be something which was advertised'. Bill opponent and fellow Labour MP Paul Waugh warned of 'unspecified exceptions, which could make the ban itself worthless', adding he had put forward a tighter amendment to 'strengthen the Bill on this issue and to better protect the vulnerable'. Addressing the Commons, he said: 'Advertising works because we human beings are suggestible. Prone to messaging, visual clues and hints. Older people are bombarded with adverts for everything from stairlifts to care homes. 'One person's advert, though, is another person's public information campaign.' He added that unless Ms Leadbeater's amendment is tightened to limit the exceptions to a ban, social media ads on the issue in future would be possible. He said: 'Many in this House rightly try to protect teenagers from online harms. But the online harm of an ad for a website about assisted dying shared on TikTok could be a reality without the tighter safeguards in my amendment.' Other issues being debated on Friday include an amendment requiring the Health Secretary to publish an assessment of the availability, quality and distribution of palliative and end-of-life care one year after the Bill passing into law. Pledging her support for the amendment, which has been tabled by Liberal Democrat Munira Wilson, Ms Leadbeater said MPs should not have to choose between supporting assisted dying or palliative care as it is not an 'either/or' conversation for dying people. She said palliative care and assisted dying 'can and do work side by side to give terminally-ill patients the care and choice they deserve in their final days', and urged MPs to support 'all options available to terminally ill people'. Ms Wilson's amendment is supported by Marie Curie, which said it is 'desperately needed as the end-of-life care system is in crisis, with huge gaps in services and a lack of NHS leadership on this vital part of our health and care system'. The beginning of Friday's session saw MPs add a new opt-out clause to the Bill. The amendment, meaning no person including all health and social care professionals, can be obliged to take part in assisted dying had been debated and approved last month, but has now been formally added to the Bill. The Bill passed second reading stage by a majority of 55 during a historic vote in November which saw MPs support the principle of assisted dying. Various media reports have indicated some MPs who voted in favour last year could withdraw their support amid concerns around safeguards and how much scrutiny the proposed legislation has received, while others might switch to supporting a Bill that backers argue has been strengthened over time. Opinion in the medical community has been divided, with the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) and Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) expressing concern, but some MPs who are doctors are among the Bill's strongest supporters. Seven RCPsych members, including a former president and vice president, have written to MPs to distance themselves from their college's concern, instead describing the current Bill as 'workable, safe and compassionate' with a 'clear and transparent legal framework'. Meanwhile, the Children's Commissioner for England has repeated her call for children's voices to be heard in the conversation, saying their views had been 'at best been sidelined, at worst written off entirely simply because they would not fall within the scope of the current scope of legislation'. Demonstrators both for and against a change in the law once again gathered outside Parliament to make their views known on the Bill. Disability campaigner George Fielding, representing campaign group Not Dead Yet UK, argued the Bill 'risks state-sanctioned suicide' but Claire Macdonald, director of My Death, My Decision said 'no-one should be forced to suffer, and the British public wants politicians to change the law on assisted dying'. In a letter to MPs this week, Ms Leadbeater said supporters and opponents appear in agreement that 'if we are to pass this legislation it should be the best and safest Bill possible'. She added: 'I'm confident it can and will be.' As it stands, the proposed legislation would allow terminally-ill adults in England and Wales, with fewer than six months to live, to apply for an assisted death, subject to approval by two doctors and a panel featuring a social worker, senior legal figure and psychiatrist. MPs are entitled to have a free vote on the Bill and any amendments, meaning they vote according to their conscience rather than along party lines.
South Wales Argus
an hour ago
- South Wales Argus
Warning over assisted dying TikTok adverts as MPs further debate Bill
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill has returned to the Commons for further debate, with an ad ban among the issues discussed. The Bill is undergoing a second day of report stage on Friday, with various amendments being debated and possibly voted on. Its third reading – where a vote is taken on the overall Bill – could take place next Friday. Opening debate, Labour MP Kim Leadbeater proposed an amendment to her Bill which would impose a duty on the Government to make regulations prohibiting advertisements to promote services relating to voluntary assisted dying should the legislation pass. She has previously said it 'would feel inappropriate for this to be something which was advertised'. Bill opponent and fellow Labour MP Paul Waugh warned of 'unspecified exceptions, which could make the ban itself worthless', adding he had put forward a tighter amendment to 'strengthen the Bill on this issue and to better protect the vulnerable'. Addressing the Commons, he said: 'Advertising works because we human beings are suggestible. Prone to messaging, visual clues and hints. Older people are bombarded with adverts for everything from stairlifts to care homes. 'One person's advert, though, is another person's public information campaign.' A person holds a hard copy of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Stefan Rousseau/PA) He added that unless Ms Leadbeater's amendment is tightened to limit the exceptions to a ban, social media ads on the issue in future would be possible. He said: 'Many in this House rightly try to protect teenagers from online harms. But the online harm of an ad for a website about assisted dying shared on TikTok could be a reality without the tighter safeguards in my amendment.' Other issues being debated on Friday include an amendment requiring the Health Secretary to publish an assessment of the availability, quality and distribution of palliative and end-of-life care one year after the Bill passing into law. Pledging her support for the amendment, which has been tabled by Liberal Democrat Munira Wilson, Ms Leadbeater said MPs should not have to choose between supporting assisted dying or palliative care as it is not an 'either/or' conversation for dying people. She said palliative care and assisted dying 'can and do work side by side to give terminally-ill patients the care and choice they deserve in their final days', and urged MPs to support 'all options available to terminally ill people'. Dame Rachel de Souza the Children's Commissioner for England has repeated her call for children's voices to be heard in the conversation (Aaron Chown/PA) Ms Wilson's amendment is supported by Marie Curie, which said it is 'desperately needed as the end-of-life care system is in crisis, with huge gaps in services and a lack of NHS leadership on this vital part of our health and care system'. The beginning of Friday's session saw MPs add a new opt-out clause to the Bill. The amendment, meaning no person including all health and social care professionals, can be obliged to take part in assisted dying had been debated and approved last month, but has now been formally added to the Bill. The Bill passed second reading stage by a majority of 55 during a historic vote in November which saw MPs support the principle of assisted dying. Campaigners supportive of a change in the law outside Parliament (James Manning/PA) Various media reports have indicated some MPs who voted in favour last year could withdraw their support amid concerns around safeguards and how much scrutiny the proposed legislation has received, while others might switch to supporting a Bill that backers argue has been strengthened over time. Opinion in the medical community has been divided, with the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) and Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) expressing concern, but some MPs who are doctors are among the Bill's strongest supporters. Seven RCPsych members, including a former president and vice president, have written to MPs to distance themselves from their college's concern, instead describing the current Bill as 'workable, safe and compassionate' with a 'clear and transparent legal framework'. Meanwhile, the Children's Commissioner for England has repeated her call for children's voices to be heard in the conversation, saying their views had been 'at best been sidelined, at worst written off entirely simply because they would not fall within the scope of the current scope of legislation'. Demonstrators both for and against a change in the law once again gathered outside Parliament to make their views known on the Bill. Campaigners against a change in the law gather outside Parliament (James Manning/PA) Disability campaigner George Fielding, representing campaign group Not Dead Yet UK, argued the Bill 'risks state-sanctioned suicide' but Claire Macdonald, director of My Death, My Decision said 'no-one should be forced to suffer, and the British public wants politicians to change the law on assisted dying'. In a letter to MPs this week, Ms Leadbeater said supporters and opponents appear in agreement that 'if we are to pass this legislation it should be the best and safest Bill possible'. She added: 'I'm confident it can and will be.' As it stands, the proposed legislation would allow terminally-ill adults in England and Wales, with fewer than six months to live, to apply for an assisted death, subject to approval by two doctors and a panel featuring a social worker, senior legal figure and psychiatrist. MPs are entitled to have a free vote on the Bill and any amendments, meaning they vote according to their conscience rather than along party lines.
