"Cynical And Bitter" - Reform UK Responds To "Media Storm" Over Initiation Ceremony Absence

Reform UK has hit out at a “cynical and bitter media storm” after the party’s new Lake North councillor missed his first initiation ceremony at County Hall this week.

Cllr David Maclean stood for the anti-immigration party in a county council by-election last week, garnering 291 votes and beating the Conservatives’ Adrian Whittaker who came second with 232 votes.

On Tuesday, Cllr Maclean was not present at his initiation and swearing in ceremony which a Reform spokesperson said today was “due to a serious illness” in his family.

He was also absent from last Friday’s election count at the Westridge Centre in Ryde.

They said:

“Cllr Maclean unfortunately could not attend his initiation due to a serious illness in the family.

"We believe it’s perfectly reasonable for an individual to take time away to attend to such serious matters.

“The media storm caused by his political opponents over this is cynical and bitter.”

A Reform UK press office spokesperson said:

“I believe he (Cllr Maclean) went in yesterday to confirm himself as councillor and do his induction.

“As far as I’ve been told this was a story that came about…from his bitter, defeated Conservative opponents.”

The BBC-funded Local Democracy Reporting Service has not heard from Cllr Maclean, despite multiple attempts to contact him.

Efforts to track down Cllr Maclean resorted to calling leader of Reform UK, Nigel Farage, who requested questions by text, which remain unanswered.

A leaflet that appears to have been distributed as part of Cllr Maclean’s by-election campaign describes him as an Island ‘businessman’.

It says:

“As a businessman on the Island I believe I can help to better run our council to the benefit of Lake North residents.

"I will expose council waste, challenge reckless spending, and push for real investment in local priorities.”

The council’s election agents notice for the Lake North by-election gives 1 Heron Square at Island Harbour as his correspondence address.

Council leader Phil Jordan yesterday said he welcomed Cllr Maclean to the Isle of Wight and said he fully understands “his predicament”.

Speaking last Friday, the new Reform UK councillor for the Central Rural ward, Caroline Gladwin, said the “old parties” had failed and voters were “looking for something new”.

“We’re going to be looking out for rural residents and farmers as opposed to the other parties…I will be doing all I can for the residents,” she said.

“We’ll be bringing something new to County Hall and reform to County Hall.”

Adrian Whittaker has been approached for comment.