The leader of Reform UK on Plymouth City Council has hit back following the departure of two councillors who have joined Restore.
Councillors Mark Hadfield and Andrew Crumplin both left Reform on Friday, with Reform group leader Steve Ricketts now giving his account of the background to their departures.
Councillor Ricketts said the entire Plymouth Reform group had been involved in choosing its leader following the elections, with Councillor Hadfield unsuccessful in that contest.
He said Councillor Crumplin had stated last month that he wanted to become group leader but had failed to secure the support of the group.
Councillor Ricketts also said neither councillor had been selected for his Shadow Cabinet before their move to Restore.
He said: “The Reform UK group on Plymouth City Council is now stronger for the departures. We want people in Reform who are here for the right reasons, not just to further their own ambitions.
“We will continue to move forward with real purpose and energy to make Plymouth and our Country a better place.”
A Reform UK spokesman also said the party’s leadership contests and processes in Plymouth had complied with rules laid down by its Party Board.
The spokesman claimed the process for mounting an internal leadership challenge had been explained to Councillor Crumplin, but said he had declined to follow those rules and processes.
Reform UK also said the group had voted in support of Councillor Ricketts’ leadership at its recent group meeting.
Plymouth Post has contacted Councillors Andrew Crumplin and Mark Hadfield and offered them the opportunity to respond to the comments made by Councillor Ricketts and Reform UK.
At the time of publication, no response had been received.
Photographs © Wayne Perry / Plymouth Post