The Conservatives in Bracknell have accused Reform UK of grandstanding as councillors and supporters of the parties have clashed on Facebook.
Recently, Labour-run Bracknell Forest Council had to clarify that it is not seeking ‘Council of Sanctuary’ status as one of its goals.
Instead, the council conducted initial exploratory work on what ‘Sanctuary Status’ could mean for Bracknell Forest that took place in 2025/2026.
The council is not in the process of applying for Council of Sanctuary status.
Now, the Conservatives and Reform UK are clashing over who should take credit for exposing the initiative.
A post on the Bracknell Conservatives Facebook page states: “Reform love to talk big on immigration and ‘protecting the public.’
“But when a real threat like a sanctuary town lands on our doorstep, they’re nowhere to be seen.
“Our Group Leader, councillor Dr Gareth Barnard (Conservative, Whitegrove), immediately recognising the importance of the issue, responded by writing directly to Helen Purnell, the leader of the Labour council, questioning those with responsibility.
“While Reform chose grandstanding motions in councils with no responsibility for the issue, Conservatives focused on holding those who were actually responsible to account and getting answers.
“Yet again, it falls on Conservatives to do the heavy lifting while Reform just sit on the sidelines, avoiding any actual work.
“Actions speak louder than words.
“(This post was not paid for with any donations from crypto millionaires and is not supported by residents of Sigma IX).”
The last paragraph referred to Reform leader Nigel Farage’s association with Christopher Harborne, a British-Thai billionaire and cryptocurrency investor, who gave Mr Farage a £5 million gift in early 2024.
It also mentions ‘Sigma IX’ the ‘homeworld’ of satirical political candidate Count Binface, who is standing against Mr Farage in the by-election for the Clacton parliamentary constituency.
There are no Reform councillors on Bracknell Forest Council.
Instead, cllr Justin Bellhouse sits on Bracknell Town Council, and John Edwards is an Independent councillor affiliated with Reform on Sandhurst Town Council.
Both councillors Bellhouse and Edwards have raised the issue at their respective councils.
In a reply to the Facebook post, Reform UK Bracknell said: “We thank the Bracknell Conservatives for their sudden interest in our activities, though we must politely correct the record regarding who has been ‘missing in action’ on this vital issue.
“While others were focusing on online criticism after the policy was exposed, Reform UK took direct, constructive action where it matters most.
“On Bracknell Town Council, it was Justin Bellhouse who actively proposed and successfully passed the formal motion demanding absolute transparency.
“This decisive intervention forced Bracknell Forest Council to officially halt and abandon its repeated plans for Council of Sanctuary status.
“Our aligned independent colleagues achieved the exact same result on Sandhurst Town Council.
“Rather than being missing in action, Reform has been leading the charge on the ground, delivering the accountability and results that local residents and business owners rightfully demand.”
There was also an allegation that the Conservatives used artificial intelligence (AI) for the Facebook post.
The Conservatives did add an ‘AI label’ to the content, but that can be used for a wide range of purposes, from photo retouching to generating entirely new content.
It is understood the image contained in the post was created with AI, as an office building with unintelligible lettering features in it.
The image states: Missing Reform UK Bracknell? Conservatives stand strong against Borough of Sanctuary.
Securing Bracknell. Protecting our community.
The Bracknell Conservatives have been messaged about their use of AI in the post.
