Latest news with #Reform-run
ITV News
3 days ago
- Politics
- ITV News
Who is George Finch - UK's youngest council leader and Reform's new leader for Warwickshire?
A Reform UK-led council has a new interim leader, thought to be the youngest ever in the UK at 18 years old. Councillor George Finch was confirmed as the interim leader at Warwickshire County Council, after Cllr Rob Howard stepped down from his post just 41 days into the job. In a statement, Cllr Howard cited "health challenges", saying it was a "very difficult decision", but that he would continue as a county councillor. It left political rivals questioning whether Reform UK is "up to the task". Who is George Finch? Cllr Finch, who is from Nuneaton, is one of the UK's youngest councillors - with candidates only able to stand for election if they are 18 or older. He represents the Bedworth Central ward. He has been a main contributor for the Reform-run website The New Reformer, writing articles and featuring in social media videos. At one point, he was named as its Associate Editor. On a profile page, Cllr Finch describes his main principles: "having integrity, honesty and respect". He continued: "I've played rugby since I was four, which gave me great team-building skills and leadership skills. "If I was to be politically summed up in a few words it would be; Brexit, sovereignty, strong military and most importantly a strong and united family unit. "As I always say who has the strongest shoulder in society must support and help others, as long as they contribute in their own way." Cllr Finch has previously served as a Youth Councillor for Nuneaton and Bedworth. Before the General Election last July, Cllr Finch claimed on social media he was "kicked out" of the Conservative party. In another video, he said he spent three months as a Conservative Party member but was frustrated as he "saw illegal immigration. What happens next for Warwickshire? The county council will probably have to go through a selection process for a permanent leader. It confirmed on Wednesday Cllr Finch will 'serve as interim leader until the council confirms a new leader in due course'. That is because although Reform UK is the biggest party on Warwickshire County Council, it does not have 'overall majority' - fewer than half of the 57 councillors are Reform. The new leader needs support from more than half of the council - so Reform councillors in Warwickshire need to draft in support from other parties. Cllr Howard was appointed with votes from his own party and support from all bar one of the Conservatives who attended May's annual council meeting.
The Journal
19-06-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
Leo Varadkar says he would sacrifice economic growth for a united Ireland
FORMER TAOISEACH LEO Varadkar has said that he would 'forgo two years of economic growth' for the unification of Ireland. Varadkar made the claim during an interview with BBC Northern Ireland's The View programme, where he described British politics as 'very vile'. He said that he did not think a date should be fixed for an Irish unity referendum, as nationalists did not have the numbers to win. He added that planning for a united Ireland should take place, however. 'I don't think a united Ireland is inevitable, I think it's something that we have to work towards,' he said. 'Look at the trajectory, and that is clear. We see it in elections. We see it in opinion polls. We see it in demographics. 'But I think there are a lot of factors that would suggest that we're on that trajectory,' he added. "Would I be willing to forgo two years of economic growth for the unification of my island? I would." Former Taoiseach @LeoVaradkar speaking to @MarkCarruthers7 about Irish unity. Read more on @BBCNewsNI Watch the interview on @bbctheview — Darran Marshall (@DarranMarshall) June 19, 2025 'Demographic factors, polling, even the most recent numbers showing that a very clear majority of younger people in Northern Ireland want there to be a new united Ireland.' I think those of us who believe in it have a duty to make the case for it He said Irish unity will not happen 'by osmosis or by accident', and said it is something that has to be 'worked towards'. Advertisement Last year, a report by the Institute of International and European Affairs found that a united Ireland would cost €20 billion every year for 20 years . Varadkar dismissed concerns of cost however, saying that he would 'be willing to forgo two years of economic growth for the unification of my island'. Northern Ireland 'would not like' Farage During the interview, Varadkar made clear that he hoped Reform UK leader Nigel Farage did not become prime minister – though he conceded that it is possible that Farage will win the most seats in the next general election. Varadkar said he believed the possibility of Farage as prime minister 'would change the picture in terms of attitudes' towards independence in Scotland and unificiation in Northern Ireland. He added that Irish unity would become 'centre stage' if Farage took charge. 'It isn't just because a right-wing nationalist government in London would want to bring the UK and Northern Ireland away from Europe. It is other things as well,' Varadkar told BBC's The View. He explained that Reform-run councils in England were 'preventing people from flying pride or progress flags'. 'I don't think most people in Northern Ireland would like that,' the former Fine Gael leader said. He believes there are people in Northern Ireland 'from both backgrounds, or both traditions, that have a liberal and European outlook'. 'If that's the kind of government they had in London versus a government in Dublin that was very different, it might make them more likely to vote yes to unification,' he added. With reporting from Press Association Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Nigel Farage's pitch for Welsh elections: bring back coalmining
Nigel Farage has demanded the reopening of domestic coalmines to provide fuel for new blast furnaces, arguing that Welsh people would happily return to mining if the pay was sufficiently high. Speaking at an event in Port Talbot, the south Wales town traditionally associated with the steel industry, the Reform UK leader said it was in the 'national interest' to have a guaranteed supply of steel, as well as UK-produced fuel for the furnaces, a close echo of Donald Trump's repeated pledges to return heavy industry to the US. Pressed on whether this was a realistic plan, particularly given that even if Wales did elect a Reform-run Senedd next May it could be blocked by Westminster, Farage conceded that the idea was most likely only realistic if done in conjunction with the national government. 'Our belief is that for what uses coal still has, we should produce our own coal,' he told the event, intended to boost Reform's prominence in Wales in the run-up to next year's elections. 'I'm not saying, let's open up all the pits. What I am saying is there is coal, specific types of coal for certain uses, that we still need in this country, and we certainly will need for the blast furnaces here, that we should produce ourselves rather than importing. 'We are going to be using more steel over the next few years than we probably ever used, as we increase military spending and as we attempt a housebuilding programme … We are going to need a lot of steel. Our belief is we should be producing our own steel.' Asked during a media Q&A how long it would take to reopen defunct blast furnaces such as the Tata steel plant in Port Talbot which shut last year, and if this was even possible, Farage accepted it would be difficult, needing 'a change of mindset'. He said: 'Nothing's impossible, but it might be difficult. It might be easier to build a new one.' Quizzed on what evidence he had that young Welsh people would want to go down coalmines, Farage replied: 'If you offer people well-paying jobs, you'd be surprised. Many will take them, even though you have to accept that mining is dangerous.' Pressed then on whether even a Reform-run Welsh government could not achieve this alone, Farage accepted this was probably the case: 'It's difficult to know just how much leverage the Welsh government can have over these things. It probably needs to work in conjunction with a national government. It needs a complete change of philosophy. It needs a scrapping of net zero.' A YouGov poll last month of voting intentions in Wales found Plaid Cymru leading with 30%, but Reform on 25%, ahead of Labour and the Conservatives. In his speech, Farage said Reform 'hit a speed bump last week' with the sudden resignation of Zia Yusuf as the party's chair, although Yusuf did subsequently say he would return to carry on leading efforts to find costs to cut in Reform-run councils. Farage denied that he repeatedly falls out with colleagues, saying some people had worked with him for 25 years, and that he was still friends with former employees from his City of London metals trading job in the 1990s. But he added: 'I am someone that maintains long-term friendships, and I'll do that, but if ever anybody talks behind my back, or if anybody betrays that trust, then I'll never speak to them again. Quite simple, and they should expect the same level of trust back from me.'
Wales Online
08-06-2025
- Business
- Wales Online
Nigel Farage reveals his vision and promises to Wales
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info The 1851 census recorded that more people in Wales were employed in industry than in agriculture, a first for any country, meaning it has the claim to be the first industrial nation. And for a time, Wales was undeniably an industrial powerhouse. Wales once produced almost 60 million tons of coal per year and South Wales alone was the biggest coal exporter in the world. The Cardiff Coal Exchange set the global price for steam coal and Swansea smelted most of the world's copper. Merthyr Tydfil was the world's largest producer of iron and the Port Talbot Steelworks were once the largest steel plant in Europe. Much of that is now gone. Wales's economy lags the UK in jobs, wages & growth and the deindustrialisation of Wales means that GDP per capita is £10,000 less than the UK. For many years Welsh Labour blamed the Conservatives in Westminster for this and, in fact, for all other ills. However, the truth is that Labour are just as much as responsible, if not more so than the Tories. Since the first elections to the then Welsh Assembly in 1999, Labour has been in power in Cardiff Bay for 26 years, the longest term in government of any party in Europe. With Labour now holding office in Westminster, Welsh Labour have no one left to blame. Next May voters in Wales will get the opportunity to vote in the Senedd elections and have the opportunity to not only to pass judgment on Labour's track record but also decide on the future direction of the nation. They can choose from more of the same mismanaged decline from Labour, or they can vote for a party, Reform, that unashamedly wants to see Wales reindustrialise to prosper and grow. Labour closed Wales' only primary steel making furnaces, we want to open them in the long run. We have said and say again that we think it's better to use British coal for British steel than imported coal. Which is why we would allow coal, if suitable, to be mined in Wales as part of Reform's long-term ambition to reopen the Port Talbot Steelworks but we know this will not be quick or easy. A Reform-run Senedd would also use Welsh Development Grants to support real industry. We'll redirect economic funding from consultants and NGOs to actual factory floors, machinery, and industrial jobs in places like Llanelli, Shotton, and Ebbw Vale. We'll also set up regional technical colleges teaching welding, plumbing, robotics, electrical trades, and industrial automation. Every young person who wants to work should have a path into a proper trade. More than that, we will change the way Wales is run. We will put the interests of the Welsh people first and make sure that local people go to the front of the social housing queue. We'd stop the use of any building for asylum seeker accommodation. We would end funding to the Wales Refugee Council and scrap the 'Nation of Sanctuary' for asylum seekers and any funding that goes with it. For WalesOnline's free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here A Reform UK Senedd will also save hundreds of millions each year by cutting bureaucracy, waste and bad management. The establishment of Welsh DOGE will help us uncover where there is woke and wasteful spending and we will make sure those funds are redirected to frontline services. People might say these are lofty ambitions for a party that currently has no representation in the Senedd, but its clear that the people of Wales want Reform. Our growth in Wales has been extraordinary. We now have almost 11,000 members and tens of thousands of supporters. We are winning Council by-elections in Wales with almost 50 per cent of the vote. The result in Scotland last week confirmed to us that we if we can do that well in Scotland, then we can win here in Wales. It also made clear that a vote for the Conservatives is a vote for Labour, it's more obvious than ever before that the Tories can't win in Wales. The only party that can end Labour's 26 years of failure in Wales and put the nation on a better path is Reform and I am confident we can do it.
ITV News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- ITV News
New Reform-led Kent County Council will remove Pride and Ukrainian flags
ITV Meridian's political correspondent Kit Bradshaw has been speaking to the new leader of Kent County Council, Linden Kemkaran. A Reform-run county council will not fly a Pride flag this summer and will remove the Ukrainian flag from the chamber, the new council leader confirmed. At the beginning of May, Reform swept to a local elections victory in Kent taking 57 of 81 council seats, wiping out a Conservative majority which had stood for almost 30 years. On Thursday, councillors heard from the new leader of Kent County Council, Linden Kemkaran, at their annual general meeting at County Hall in Maidstone, Kent. Ms Kemkaran, Kent's Reform leader, told the chamber her new administration had little time for 'special interest groups' or the flags that represent them. 'The Union Jack, the flag of St George and the flag of Kent, they are the identity that we all share and it is that identity that we need to focus on,' she said. Her words were met with raucous applause and table thumping from the Reform benches, likened to a 'political rally' by the council's opposition leader, Liberal Democrat Antony Hook. 'We are here to unite not divide and that's why we don't have much time for special interest groups and flags that represent special interest groups,' added Ms Kemkaran. The new Kent County Council leader also told the chamber she was looking to create a department of government efficiency (Doge) to root out problems in the council. Opposition leader Mr Hook voiced fears that the Reform administration would be taking instructions from the national leaders of Reform UK. L Outside the chamber, he said: 'It was really shocking to me that in a recent podcast the leader of Reform said that she had to sort of take instructions from Reform's national chairman. 'That's the sort of thing we've never heard at Kent County Council before. Under different administrations it's always been clear that policy is made in Kent by county councillors not taking instructions from national parties.' Concerns were also raised by opposition councillors about the future of environmental initiatives across the county. Before the meeting, Ms Kemkaran said: 'My focus will be on examining every single so-called net zero initiative and seeing whether it does really offer value for money or any benefits for the residents of Kent and if we find that it doesn't then it will be scrapped.' The new Reform-led council is yet to announce which committees are to be kept from previous Conservative administrations. Ms Kemkaran warned against 'knee-jerk' reactions in her first speech to the chamber. 'The people of Kent turned out in their thousands to vote for us because they didn't want the same old people doing the same old things and achieving the same old results,' Ms Kemkaran said. Labour Councillor and campaigner Maureen Cleator Mr Hook commented on the atmosphere within the chamber. He said: 'Today was really strange, there were constant rounds of applause, there was table thumping. I've never seen that in a county council chamber before. 'Reform were acting like they were at a political rally rather than the first meeting of an authority that's here to do important work.' Labour Councillor and campaigner Maureen Cleator said: 'I was an Army wife. "My son goes over to Ukraine to offer support and training as a veteran and I don't think people understand what's going on there. "And to be quite honest, if the most we do is fly a flag to show solidarity, then what's wrong with that.'
