A prominent councillor has admitted that he is a member of Reform UK during a heated debate about permanently flying the Union flag.
John Edwards, who represents Owlsmoor on Sandhurst Town Council, submitted a motion to install a flagpole to permanently fly the Union flag at the town’s memorial park.
The request was made following the Operation Raise the Colours activism, which saw people flying UK and St George’s cross flags from lampposts throughout the country, often without the permission of local councils.
However, the debate got heated when fellow councillors questioned his political affiliations and motivation for the motion, which was discussed at a strategy & policy committee meeting on September 25.
Councillor Leigh Quigg (Liberal Democrats, College Town) said: “It’s happened recently under the Raise the Colours organisation, which is a far-right organisation linked to Tommy Robinson, so we can’t ignore that.
“I have been contacted by a resident who has felt incredibly intimidated by those flags.
“So it’s obvious and more than one comment has been made to me about them that it is divisive, and it is a shame because it is our flag.”
Cllr Mike Forster (Liberal Democrats, Central Sandhurst) accused the motion of being politically motivated.
He said: “No one wants to allow this flag, our flag, to become the centre of an argument in this town.
Cllr Forster then asked whether cllr Edwards is a Reform UK member and campaign manager, which he admitted.
Cllr Forster said: “If he is, we don’t want anything to do with it!”
While cllr Edwards is a Reform member, he remains an Independent on the town council.
Chipping in, cllr Quigg said: “The two don’t go hand in hand.”
Cllr Hazel Hill (Conservative, Owlsmoor) said: “I’m looking at the current situation and I have had some comments. As it is at the moment with the flags flying in the town, it has already caused distress to those of foreign descent.”
It was after this exchange Cllr Edwards admitted his party affiliation.
He said: “Yes, I am a member of Reform, but I am not a Reform councillor. That might change. But I am not whipped by them. I am their campaign manager.”
Cllr Edwards added that he found cllr Forster’s tone “really combative” and “intimidating”.
Councillors ultimately voted against the motion to permanently fly the Union flag at Sandhurst Memorial Par, with only cllr Michael Brossard (Conservative, Central Sandurst) supporting it.
The website Electoral Calculus predicts Bracknell, which is the constituency that Sandhurst is in, will be a Reform gain, with Labour MP Peter Swallow losing his seat.
It is also predicted that nearby Slough will also switch from Labour to Reform.
