A newly-elected Reform councillor had to be corrected on which party he now represents after mistakenly saying “UKIP’s here” in a media interview.

Reacting to Reform UK winning four seats on Peterborough City Council, councillor Peter Reeve said: “Our message is UKIP’s here, working hard, with local communities.”

The journalist questioned Reeve on his party allegiance, “UKIP?”. 

Reeve, who still has himself listed as a UKIP Regional Organiser on LinkedIn and is a former UKIP councillor, laughed and corrected himself, stating: “Reform is here, working hard with local communities”.

He then said: “I’ve been doing this for the last 15 years, from the UKIP days all the way through to Reform.”

During the local elections campaign, Reform announced Reeve as an “experienced” and “serious” candidate. 

A Reform UK spokesperson said: “Cambridgeshire is a key battleground for Reform UK. With candidates like Peter Reeve and Ryan Coogan, we are putting forward experienced, capable individuals who understand their communities and are ready to deliver. These are serious candidates for serious times.”

The gaffe generated lots of comments online, with one X user stating: “He’s right in a sense, UKIP is indeed here but with a different name & Reform councils are already going down the same path as UKIP did back in the day. You would think people would learn, but they really don’t. More fool them, they deserve what they get.”

Another wrote: “Seems totally legit, competent, and exactly the kind of person you want in charge of cleaning the streets and your children’s education.”

Another simply commented: “Er…. Not a great start”. 

Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward

The post Reform UK councillor mistakenly says ‘UKIP’s here’ in media interview appeared first on Left Foot Forward: Leading the UK's progressive debate.