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Telegraph
4 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Reform's Olympic champion mayor goes to war with his staff
An Olympic boxer elected as one of Reform UK's first mayors has become embroiled in a war with his own officials, The Telegraph can disclose. Luke Campbell, who won gold for Team GB at the 2012 Olympics, asked five senior staff at the Hull and East Yorkshire combined authority (HEYCA) to resign last week, amid claims and counter-claims about their performance and his management style. The 37-year-old mayor said staff had been 'blocking' his agenda since he was elected in the region's inaugural mayoral contest in May, while they were working from home and trying to 'get paid a fortune and do as little as possible'. However, Mr Campbell has also faced accusations that he tried to book first-class train tickets on expenses, organised an office move without following official rules and created a 'toxic working environment' for staff. Since the party's historic victory in 12 council areas and two mayoralties in May, Reform's new leaders have found themselves bumping up against so-called woke bureaucracy and red tape. Mr Campbell, who was born in Hull, has become a poster boy for the party's work in local government under the newly created HEYCA. He has said he was sick of Conservative 'lies' and wanted to improve the area where he grew up. But in the past three months, he has said his work has been frustrated by staff seconded to the combined authority from across the UK. Insiders said his 'one-man band' approach had made him unpopular in the office and staff miserable in their jobs. Tensions reached a boiling point on Wednesday when he asked five senior staff to resign after a series of conflicts about following local government protocol. The Telegraph understands that at least three of them had already handed in their notice after clashing with the mayor, and have now been placed on gardening leave. Mr Campbell has now said he will hire young, local people to work for the combined authority, who are 'energetic' and will pursue his policy agenda. His supporters say his swashbuckling approach demonstrates how Reform would work in Whitehall, using Elon Musk-style cost-cutting and a suspicion of red tape. That approach has created tension in the councils where Reform is now in charge. It is claimed that after months of dispute between Mr Campbell and the HEYCA staff, he has created a 'toxic working environment' and the office is 'not a happy place'. A source close to the mayor denied that he had created an unpleasant working environment in Hull, blaming the departing staff for the animosity since May. 'As soon as they don't get their own way, they say it's a toxic working environment,' the source claimed. Going against local government protocol It is understood issues began shortly after Mr Campbell took office when he tried to claim first-class train tickets on expenses, against normal local government protocol. 'There was a mismatch of what he had been used to, and what is allowed,' said one person familiar with the situation. The disagreement prompted a formal review by an independent remuneration panel, which recommended that Mr Campbell should only be allowed to claim for standard class travel unless more expensive trains had been explicitly approved by the finance director. Records of the review show it concluded: 'Value for money is paramount and must be considered when making any claims. 'Any claims which may be considered not value for money, such as first-class travel, must be approved in advance.' Reform denied that Mr Campbell had tried to claim first-class travel. However, it is not disputed that he then took 'huge issue' when staff told him he would not be allowed to hire Jack Anderton, a 23-year-old Reform digital strategist, and Robin Hunter-Clarke, a former Ukip official, as political advisers in his office. Local government rules say those roles are 'politically restricted', barring campaigners or employees of political parties from working as council officials. But a Reform source said the two men were 'the people who advised him for the whole campaign' and should have been allowed to work on HEYCA staff. The Telegraph understands the issue has become a major sticking point between Mr Campbell and the officials in recent months, and that he has suggested creating new roles that would allow him to hire the two men legally. The lack of political staff in his office created a headache for the mayor when he was presented with the White Rose Agreement – a joint statement he had been asked to sign with three Labour mayors in Yorkshire. Mr Campbell originally backed the idea, pledging to work with his Labour counterparts, but withdrew shortly before it was intended to be signed last week after objecting to a reference to net zero. A party source said that opposing net zero was 'pretty much a prerequisite' for a Reform mayor, and that his support for the agreement collapsed at the last moment because the text had not been agreed in advance. War on working from home Like other Reform mayors, Mr Campbell has waged war on staff working from home, which was permitted in interim contracts signed by his officials before he won the mayoralty earlier this year. He demanded all employees return to the office five days a week, leading to at least two resignations from officials who lived on the other side of the country and stayed in an East Yorkshire hotel for three days a week to attend meetings in the office. 'He has been frustrated with the pace of the public sector, and with policy officials from the council,' said one insider, adding that after arriving in local government from the outside, Mr Campbell had 'a lot of catching up to do'. According to those familiar with the situation, the tipping point came in the last month when Mr Campbell decided to find a new office building to replace the temporary arrangement used by HEYCA since it was established. He decided that the team should move into 2 Humber Quays, a modern office block on the banks of the Humber with panoramic views of the river and city, and told officials that he had negotiated a 'discount' with the owner. But staff hit back, telling him that he had not completed the relevant paperwork for his idea, and suggested that the team should move into a cheaper former council building. 'Someone said to him, 'You can't do that, you need to do a feasibility study and report, and find out why other offices aren't suitable',' said one source. 'He does get frustrated,' they said. 'He's come from a completely different world.' Sources close to Mr Campbell said he was furious that his plan had been blocked, and that he intended to go ahead with the move now that some officials had left the organisation. 'If the man who has been elected with a huge mandate wants to do something, he should be allowed to do it,' the source said. Mr Campbell told The Telegraph it was the staff, not the bureaucracy of local government, that was to blame for the issues at HEYCA over the last three months. 'It didn't feel like they were doing the job I wanted them to do, and I didn't feel like they were doing a good enough job,' he said. 'They don't know the region and didn't put any effort in, thus blocking my agenda. The rest of the team I've got a fantastic relationship with. 'It's only these civil servants that are coming in from all over the country that think they can run the show, get paid a fortune and do as little as possible that I have an issue with.'
Forbes
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Park Bo-Gum Kim So-Hyun And Lee Sang-Yi Discuss Their Drama ‘Good Boy'
Park Bo-gum plays an Olympic gold medal boxer in 'Good Boy.' What happens when a team of former Olympians band together to fight crime? That's the question answered by the Korean action comedy Good Boy. Those Olympians includes Yoon Dong-ju (Park Bo-gum), a gold medal Olympic boxer turned police officer, and Ji Han-na (Kim So-hyun), a police officer and winner of a gold medal for shooting. After their stellar sports careers were unfairly cut short, they each began a second career as a police officer, determined to use their special skills to make the world a better place. The team also includes Lee Sang-yi (No Gain, No Love, Bloodhounds, My Demon) as Kim Jong-hyeon, a former silver medalist fencer. Together these former sports heroes will seek out villains and protect the vulnerable. At a recent press conference Park, Kim and Lee answered a few questions about their upcoming drama and the highly skilled characters they play. A few months ago Park earned a Best Actor nomination at the Baeksang Arts Awards for his role in the TV drama When Life Gives You Tangerines, but he didn't rest for long after completing that role. "We were shooting Good Boy about two months after finishing When Life Gives You Tangerines,' said Park. While he wholly immersed himself in his When Life Gives You Tangerines character he didn't require much time to transition to his next role in Good Boy. In general he's adept at stepping into and out of character. 'I'm the type of person who focuses completely while filming and recovers as soon as I leave the set,' he said. Since his Good Boy character is a champion boxer some special training was in order. 'I took boxing for a short period of time when I was in high school,' said Park. 'For this role, I trained two hours a day for six months.' His character Dong-ju is named after the Korean poet Yoon Dong-ju, but the character didn't always live up to his esteemed name, getting into fights while he was in school. However, the character eventually turned his life around and tries to live up to the name his mother gave him. Kim So-hyun plays a gold medal Olympic shooting expert in 'Good Boy.' 'Just like his mother's dying words asking him 'to live up to your name without shame,' Yoon Dong-ju had a time in his life where his meaningful name was cheered by the nation,' said Park. 'You will be able to see Dong-ju with his powerful punches and fearless fighting skills, as he uses his abilities from his athlete days to hunt down criminals as a police officer.' For Park (Record of Youth, Encounter) every moment he spent acting with the other cast members was fun. 'I had great synergy with the staff on set as well," he said. 'It's a project I'll remember for a long time.' Kim So-hyun plays a character with expert marksmanship skills. It was the first time she ever needed to handle a gun for a role. 'I had experience with swords and bows in historical dramas, but this was my first time using a firearm,' said Kim. 'Handling a firearm requires both caution and confidence, I was surprised by how often misfires happen, which made it all the more tense.' As a prodigy, her character experiences early fame, but misunderstandings threaten her career, so she applies for special recruitment to the police force, hoping to be an officer like her father. Kim began her career as a child actress, which made it easier to relate to her character. 'Like Han-na, I experienced early fame, attention, and even envy or jealousy,' said Kim. 'That helped me connect with her on a deeper level. Despite facing injustice, Han-na is resilient. According to Kim (My Lovely Liar, River Where The Moon Rises and Tale of Nokdu), the character owes her resilience to her father. It's love that helps her persevere. 'Her love for her father gave her the strength to take back everything with her own hands," said Kim. Lee Sang-yi used his experience as a military police officer to create his character in 'Good Boy.' Lee Sang-yi had some real life experience as a military police officer. It's a role he filled while serving the mandatory military duty required of all able-bodied Korean males. 'It definitely helped,' said Lee. 'Knowing how to wear a stab-proof vest, use a baton, and understand police radio codes helped a lot.' He recently starred in the romantic comedy No Gain No Love and its spinoff, Spice Up Our Love, in which he plays a corporate executive who falls for a shy romance novelist. He also has a romantic interest in Good Boy. His character really wants to protect Han-na. 'There's a scene where Dong-ju and I receive a gift from Han-na's mother,' said Lee. 'I think viewers will find it very cute and fun.' His character became a police officer because of Han-na. 'He got a silver medal as an athlete and wanted to stay close to her," said Lee. "I think Han-na played a large role in him becoming a police officer. Through this role, I indirectly experienced what it's like to be a police officer, and it's truly a tough and admirable job. The overnight stakeouts, the intense training—I have deep respect for police officers everywhere.' Lee's multi-faceted career has included appearing in musicals and plays as well as TV dramas and films. 'I want to continue challenging myself in various areas,' he said. 'I don't want to be limited to one field; I'd like to cross genres freely. Lately, I've been doing more action roles. I'm interested in roles that involve a lot of physical movement like zombies or dancing, even though they are physically tough.' Good Boy satisfies those requirements as it naturally includes plenty of action scenes. The drama also stars Oh Jung-se as a civil servant, while Heo Sung-tae and Tae Won-suk play former bronze medalists who join the crime-fighting team. The story was written by Lee Dae-il, who wrote screenplays for the dramas Chief of Staff, Life on Mars and Bring It On Ghost. Good Boy is directed by Sim Na-yeon, who previously directed The Good Bad Mother, Beyond Evil and At Eighteen. The drama airs on Prime.
