Lancashire Labour leader sets limits on further Reform UK defections amid by-election call

The leader of the Labour group on Lancashire County Council says he “always suspected” some of the authority’s Reform UK members would seek to defect to his party - but stressed he is only interested in accepting “moderates” from that side of the political divide.

Mark Clifford was speaking after he welcomed Skelmersdale East division representative Nigel Swales into the Labour fold after he became what is believed to be the first councillor in the country to cross a council chamber floor in that direction.

The county council’s ruling Reform UK group told the Lancashire Post that the switch was such a departure from the platform on which CC Swales was elected just over a year ago that he should step down and fight a by-election under his new party’s colours.

County Cllr Clifford said he was not surprised at his new colleague’s request to switch political allegiance, because of national Reform UK policy that commits to scrapping the Labour government's Employment Rights Act - which includes entitlement to sick pay from day one in a job - and ending entry into ‘defined benefit’ pension schemes in the public sector.

“Reform actively went out and sought public sector workers [as candidates and members] - but now they're throwing them under the bus with their policies if they were ever to get into government.

“Obviously, the public sector's on an awful lot less money than the private sector, so [Reform’s] talk is just destroying the morale of those workers,“ County Cllr Clifford said.

Asked by the Post what he would say to Labour members uncomfortable with a former Reform councillor joining their ranks, he said: “We are only interested in moderates coming across.

“There's plenty of people in Reform that we wouldn't even open a conversation with, but for those moderates that have found that they're actually in the wrong party, we will have that discussion and see where it takes us.

“But for anyone worried that we're going to start taking on right-wing extremists, that would never happen.”

The Reform UK deputy leader of Lancashire County Council, Simon Evans, said County Cllr Swales’ move was “a massive jump” - and that the electorate deserved to have a say on it.

“He’s gone from Reform to Labour - that's a massive U-turn. The public clearly voted for Reform [in his division] - so let’s have a by-election, then,” County Cllr Evans said.

Responding to County Cllr Clifford’s comments on Reform’s economic policies he said his take was "nonsense".

“Considering Labour lost thousands of jobs through their national insurance rise [for employers], it shows they are just clueless about how to grow an economy,” he added.

CC Swales’ defection marks the second time a Reform UK county councillor has changed sides since the party took control at County Hall in May 2025. Back in July, West Lancashire West division member Leon Graham crossed to the Conservative group, saying that while Reform in Lancashire had enjoyed “some successes...I have come to the view that, nationally, it remains primarily a party of protest rather than one preparing to govern”.

The latest switch takes Reform’s county councillor count down to 51, but still leaves the group with a healthy majority in the 84-member chamber. The Progressive Lancashire alliance of independents and Green Party councillors remains the official opposition with 11 members, the Conservatives have nine, Labour have moved up to six, the Liberal Democrats have five and Our West Lancashire has two.

A Reform UK spokesperson said of CC Swales’ move: “After 34 years, voters in East Skelmersdale rejected Labour at the ballot box last May. Residents will rightly be feeling betrayed and disappointed that they have woken up with yet another Labour councillor.”

The Post approached CC Swales for interview via the Lancashire Labour group, but was given a statement in which he said: “I stood for election because I wanted to make a difference for the people I represent. Since then, [Reform] has been embroiled in scandal and I've seen first-hand that [the party] simply doesn't have a serious plan or the leadership needed to deliver real change.

"People in Lancashire deserve representatives focused on getting things done rather than generating headlines, sowing division or playing political games.

"Labour is focused on the issues that matter to people here - jobs, better public services, safer communities and putting more money in people's pockets. I'm proud to be joining the Labour Party and look forward to working with Labour colleagues to deliver for residents. That's what politics should be about."