Two Radlett councillors have left the Conservatives to join Reform UK
Caroline Clapper and Brett Rosehill say they made the move because they feel Nigel Farage's party is better placed to call for real change and challenge those in power.
Reform UK have gained their first two Hertsmere borough councillors after Caroline Clapper and Brett Rosehill defected from the Conservatives.
Cllr Clapper, who represents Aldenham West and is also county councillor for the Watling division, had been a Conservative member since 1988 and was first elected as a councillor in Hertfordshire in 2009.
She said her “deep-rooted conservative values have never changed and … never will”.
She added: “The UK has reached a critical fork in the road, and I feel compelled to do whatever I can to assist, both locally and nationally.
“I firmly believe only Reform can deliver the change Britain needs and I am convinced it will be ready to effectively govern when the time comes.”
Cllr Clapper, who until May was part of the county council’s previous Conservative administration, added that she hoped those who “might feel disappointed” by her move “will judge me on my record of service, and my continuing commitment to fight for better services, safer communities, and a stronger future for Hertsmere”.
She was re-elected to her county council seat in May with more than 67% of the vote against less than 16% for the second-placed Reform UK candidate.
Cllr Rosehill, who has represented Aldenham East since 2020, said the Conservative party “has lost its courage, its conviction and its connection to the people it is meant to represent”.
He said: “I will continue to represents the residents of Aldenham East with the same dedication as always, alongside my ward colleague Cllr Lucy Selby.
“Together we will keep fighting to protect our Green Belt, support our residents, protect our thriving high street and we will hold this government and this council administration and their damaging policies to account.”
Asked for comment on the defections, a spokesperson for Hertsmere Conservatives said: “Today is about one news story and one news story only and that is the second anniversary of the October 7th atrocities in Israel.
“Our Conservative family across Hertsmere stands together in solidarity and in quiet reflection of the lives that were lost and the sacrifices made.”
The two defections, made during the Conservative party conference in Manchester, come months after Reform won both Borehamwood seats on Hertfordshire County Council in May’s local elections.
Hertsmere Borough Council is now made up of 14 Conservatives, 12 Labour, eight Liberal Democrats, three members of the Hertsmere First independent group and the two new Reform UK councillors.
Darren Selkus, chair of Reform UK’s Hertsmere branch, said he was “delighted” Cllrs Clappers and Rosehill had joined the party.
He said: “Their values have always been aligned with ours. It’s the Conservative party that’s changed, not them.
“They will give us a real foothold and voice until we win the unitary authority elections in May 2027.
“Reform will be the only party holding this Labour-led borough council to account, something that’s been desperately lacking.”