Solihull Borough Council has its first Reform UK representatives after three former Conservatives defected to the party.
The three, who became Independent councillors earlier this year after resigning from the Conservative Party, first made the announcement on the ‘big screen’ at Reform conference, speaking to Jeremy Kyle.
Today the party announced the defection of councillors Michael Gough, Samantha Gethen and Alan Feeney formally.
In a statement on X regarding their defection, Gethen argued “Solihull deserves better,” thus with the help of Reform UK guiding them as councillors, they will be able to “make (change) happen.”
Gough, former chairman of Solihull Conservatives, stressed that the decision was the result of sustained conversations with voters, asserting that Reform now “offers a solution to restore trust, prioritise the needs of hard-working Britons and champion our shared values.”
Feeney, the third councillor to cross the floor, framed his switch in national terms, arguing that “Reform is the only party serious about tackling the ingrained shortcomings in our public services and the decline in our great nation.”
Speaking exclusively to Chamber UK on the Reform UK conference floor, the trio said that they’d agreed Councillor Gough would lead their group.
They also explained that they’d first contacted Reform UK around five months ago, and that for around five months they’d been undergoing a detailed vetting process.
When they resigned from the Conservative Party, a fourth councillor, Alison Rolf, also resigned from the Conservative group earlier in the year but has chosen to remain an independent.
Nationally, Reform UK has sought to consolidate its gains after strong showings in this year’s local elections, where the party made inroads in areas of Conservative weakness. At the NEC conference, Farage reiterated Reform’s commitment to fielding candidates in every Solihull ward in 2026.
For Solihull residents, the arrival of a Reform presence on the council raises questions about how the party will seek to influence policy from within the chamber. With elections not due until 2026, the three councillors have time to establish themselves and test whether their message resonates beyond the conference floor and online debate. For now, however, Reform UK has achieved yet another breakthrough in a borough once seen as solidly Conservative.
