Doncaster Reform UK appoints interim leader after resignations
The former leader of the party in the borough resigned last week - following a chaotic council meeting
Reform UK have revealed who will become interim group leader following the resignation of Councillor Guy Aston.
Cllr Aston was Doncaster Reform UK’s first ever group leader after the party first entered the City of Doncaster Council after the May 2025 local elections.
He resigned on Friday morning after a significant rebellion from his backbenchers over a decision to remove Cllr Jason Charity, a former ally of Aston’s, as chair of the Audit Committee.
In his resignation letter, Aston said he had received “unpleasant, vitriolic texts that border on abuse” from some of his own councillors following the full council meeting on Thursday, November 27, 2025.
Reform UK Doncaster will now need to find a new group leader. A spokesperson for the national Reform UK headquarters said this would be done “as soon as possible”.
“We thank Cllr Aston for his hard work and stewardship as leader of Reform UK on Doncaster City Council,” the spokesperson said.
“An election of a new group leader will take place as soon as possible, with councillor Karl Hughes taking on the position in the interim,” they added.
Cllr Hughes was deputy leader of the Reform group on Doncaster Council, chosen to succeed Cllr Rachel Reed, who stepped down as deputy following a conflict of interest safa surrounding the establishment of Fly Doncaster (Auxiliary Services) Ltd.
Hughes, a former policeman, also took over from Reed as the chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee.