Lib Dem councillor defects to Reform UK

A Liberal Democrat councillor has quit the party to become the first Reform UK member on Cheshire East Council.

Reg Kain, the former leader of the Lib Dem group on the local authority, said the decision was a matter of "principle".

He said he would continue to represent all his constituents in Alsager and "ensure their voices are heard".

It means long-serving councillor Rod Fletcher, who also represents the town, is the only Lib Dem member on the authority, which is run by a coalition.

Kain said he joined Reform UK because he believed it was "the only mainstream party at this time that is genuinely listening to the concerns and needs of the British people".

"I intend to be a moderate and constructive voice within Reform, helping to shape a party that truly represents the interests of ordinary people," he added.

The councillor was elected to Cheshire East Council in May 2023.

"The people of Alsager and Cheshire East elected me to serve them, not a political party, and I will continue to put their interests first," Kain said.

Fletcher, who was the Lib Dem leader of the former Congleton Borough Council, from 2001 to 2002, said: "I joined the Liberal party in 1962 and I'm not going anywhere.

"To me this country desperately needs Liberal Democrat values at this time."

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This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.