Deputy mayor of Camborne challenges Restore Britain councillor to resign
Cllr Bruce Craze jumped ship from Reform UK to Restore Britain
Last updated 11th Aug 2026
The deputy mayor of Camborne has challenged a Cornwall councillor to resign after he jumped ship from Reform UK to Restore Britain.
Cllr Reece Weatherburn, the Mebyon Kernow councillor for Troon on Camborne Town Council and deputy mayor of Camborne, said that Cllr Bruce Craze – who represents Four Lanes, Beacon and Troon on Cornwall Council – should step down to make way for a by-election.
Cllr Craze has responded, accusing Cllr Weatherburn of “playing politics” and “pushing his own personal ambitions”.
“It is not appropriate for Cllr Craze to continue sitting as the Cornwall councillor, while he represents a party that nobody in Four Lanes, Beacon and Troon voted for,” said Cllr Weatherburn.
Cllr Craze resigned as a Reform councillor last month to join Rupert Lowe’s far right Restore Britain party. He is now the second Restore councillor sitting on Cornwall Council after the former deputy leader of Reform in Cornwall, Cllr Roger Tarrant, also resigned and then joined the relatively new party.
Cllr Craze was criticised by Reform’s leader at Cornwall Council, Cllr Paul Ashton, following his defection. He told us: “This resignation comes shortly after he was called into a meeting with the whip and deputy leader to discuss his ongoing poor performance as a councillor and lack of commitment to Reform UK generally.
“It’s a shame that he has decided to take this step instead of addressing these concerns directly.”
Cllr Weatherburn said this week: “In an attempt to evade scrutiny from members of his own party, Cllr Bruce Craze has defected to Restore Britain Ltd – a party with more extreme English ethno-nationalist and other far right views than Reform UK Ltd.
“Residents of Four Lanes, Beacon and Troon will perhaps be unsurprised at this evasive move, as Cllr Craze has consistently avoided accountability since his election to Cornwall Council. He has little interest in the issues affecting residents and he routinely ignores requests by Camborne Town Council to provide a monthly report (written or verbal) on his work as the Cornwall councillor for our area.
“Four Lanes, Beacon and Troon deserve better, the people should be represented by a councillor who actually listens and works in the best interest of our community.
“It is not appropriate for Cllr Craze to continue sitting as the Cornwall councillor, while he represents a party that nobody in Four Lanes, Beacon and Troon voted for. I challenge Cllr Craze to resign – if he wishes to maintain the privilege of representing residents of Four Lanes, Beacon and Troon, then he should put it to the vote and stand in a by-election.”
Cllr Craze has responded to Cllr Weatherburn’s comments, saying his fellow councillor is “playing politics”.
“Firstly, what I would say is that it is right and appropriate for Cllr Reece Weatherburn to hold me to account, this is a fundamental part of democracy and intrinsic to the British state. All elected officials should be questioned and held accountable for their actions.
“In his Facebook statement Cllr Weatherburn suggests I avoid scrutiny, this is simply not the case. I am scrutinised everyday by the absolutely incredible residents of Four Lanes, Beacon and Troon and most days receive emails holding me to account, questioning my choices and informing me of the issues that are important to them.
“These residents are my bosses, I work for them and with reverence to all other councillors, whether town councillors or Cornwall councillors, or the officers in County Hall, the only judgements, concerns and verdicts that matter to me are from those residents, residents who only just over a year ago voted me in with a strong majority of 44% of the vote.
“When it comes to me moving to another party, at the end of the day debates will always continue on whether the elected representatives should call a by-election. But as you know and everyone else knows we live in a representative political system, not some sort of system where we elect party delegates, a system where an individual is elected to represent their area using their best judgement for the public good.
“Switching parties was me using my best judgement on how best to serve the amazing people within Four Lanes, Beacon and Troon. I could see that the party which I stood for at the last Cornwall Council election had weakened on their pledges and moved in a different direction. The party which most represents what I stood for when I was voted in is Restore Britain, which I know will help me serve my residents better.
“The most important factor in the heads of not only the residents of Four Lanes, Beacon and Troon, but throughout Cornwall is ever rising costs. Council tax increasing, car park prices increasing, food prices rising, energy costs soaring, businesses struggling, these are all the things that are truly on people’s minds.
“I would say that I feel on the same week that it’s all over the news the extent of Cornwall Council’s debt (£1.5 billion) it is inconceivable that the Deputy Mayor of Camborne is calling for an unnecessary by-election which will cost Cornwall Council thousands of pounds at the cost to the hardworking people of Cornwall.”
He added: “With respect to Cllr Reece Weatherburn while he’s playing politics I am getting on with representing and delivering for the great people of Four Lanes, Beacon and Troon. Instead of pushing his own personal ambitions, he should be focussing on the people of Camborne and if he wants to stand against me in an election he can do so at the next Cornwall Council election.”