Reform UK looks to bat off rivals ahead of crunch Kent vote after councillor jailed

Susanna Siddell
Wed, 08 Apr 2026 09:58:05 +0000
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Reform UK is looking to maintain its grip on a Kent council seat ahead of a crunch by-election battle this Thursday.

Labour, the Tories and the Greens are among some of the competitors looking to snatch the turquoise seat from Nigel Farage's grasp.

Now, every major political party is enthusiastically vying for the vote in the seaside seat of Cliftonville with the next round of major Local Elections being held in just a few weeks' time.

In 2024, when Mr Farage's party stormed to victory, Taylor secured 1,922 votes (40 per cent) with Labour's Peter Mousely and the Tories' Lesley Ann Game taking home 22 per cent and 20 per cent of the votes, respectively.

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National polls currently carry Reform UK in good stead ahead of Thursday's vote, but it remains all to play for.

The Tories, Labour, Reform UK, the Greens and the Liberal Democrats are all fielding candidates in a bid to fill the vacant seat.

On a parliamentary level, the constituency is currently filled by Labour's Polly Billington.

While Thanet District Council is controlled by Sir Keir's Starmer's party, the wider Kent County Council is controlled by Reform UK.

Cliftonville (Kent)

In Kent, Nigel Farage's party is defending their seat in the Clifton ward in Margate after a former councillor was jailed earlier this year.

Last year, Daniel Taylor, 35, won the seat after the party turned the true-blue Tory seat turquoise, flipping 57 of the 81 seats to Reform UK.

But the councillor was suspended from the party following his arrest, continuing his role sitting as an independent on the local authority.

He subsequently pleaded guilty to controlling behaviour towards his wife, and was ousted from Reform UK as a result.

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Back in February, he lost his council seat after being sentenced to 12 months in prison at Margate Magistrates' Court.

After the sentencing, a Reform UK spokesman said there was "no place in Reform for those who perpetrate violence against women and girls".

He added the party had thrown Taylor out after he pleaded guilty.

The council confirmed a by-election would be held in the ward within 35 working days.

As it stands, Reform UK's new candidate for the ward, Marc Rattigan, must fend off his electoral rivals in the Green Party, as well as Labour and the Tories, to win the seat.

Here's the list of everyone who is standing in the crunch vote:

Charlie Leys - Conservative and Unioninst Party

Joanne Janet Bright - Labour Party

Lucy Gray - Independent

Marc Lee Rattigan - Reform UK

Mo Shafaei - Liberal Democrats

Rob Yates - Green Party