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What have Reform achieved in Wakefield in their first three months?

Karl Johnson has had a whirlwind three months. Before May, he was a businessman who would drive around his home city of Wakefield wishing the potholes could be fixed. After standing for Reform UK iโ€ฆ

What have Reform achieved in Wakefield in their first three months?
BBC Politics โ€” 26 August 2026
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Before May, he was a businessman who would drive around his home city of Wakefield wishing the potholes could be fixed.

After standing for Reform UK in the local elections, the keen musician found himself the leader of Wakefield Council after his party won 58 of the 63 seats on offer and ended decades of Labour majority rule.

It hasn't all been plain sailing - already two councillors, Steve Lewis and Rhys Carr, have left Reform to sit as independents, and a third, Nick Farmer, has been suspended by the party.

It is now 100 days since the Annual General Meeting when the party were sworn in - but are they delivering the change they promised and that people voted for?

I spent an afternoon in Wakefield city centre with Johnson to find out.

As the ballots were counted on 8 May, Reform in Wakefield didn't have a leader or a deputy.

Johnson was elected to lead the group within days, and 10 days later was leader of the council.

The former rock singer's flowing hair makes him a recognisable figure, and on a walkabout in the city centre, people constantly stop him to chat, thanking him for responding to their emails and talking about the difference they believe Reform are making.

Read Full Story at BBC Politics โ†’
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