‘Time for political revolution’: Wakefield councillor explains decision to quit Tories for Reform
Samantha Harvey last week announced her decision to leave the Tories and continue to sit on Wakefield Council as a Reform member.
Last updated 13th Jan 2026
A councillor said “the time has come for a political revolution” as she explained her reasons for defecting from the Conservative Party to Reform UK.
Samantha Harvey last week announced her decision to leave the Tories and continue to sit on Wakefield Council as a Reform member.
Coun Harvey, who has represented Wakefield Rural ward since 2018, said she had made the move “after many months of reflection and careful consideration.”
She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “The time has come for a political revolution that will get our city and country back on track.
“Reform UK is the only political party whose ideas and leadership can deliver the scale of change required.”
The defection means there are now two Reform members on the Labour-controlled authority, with just one Conservative councillor remaining.
In June last year, Nick Farmer became the district’s first Reform councillor after leaving the Conservatives.
Coun Harvey said: “It has become increasingly clear that the Conservative Party I was once proud of has moved away from the beliefs and values that I hold.
“Since the 2024 General Election defeat, which saw many hard working colleagues and their staff lose their jobs, I have watched and waited, hoping that the Conservative Party would rediscover its core principles and take the fight to Labour in these areas.
“It is with a heavy heart when I say that I am unable to wait any longer.
“Whilst the Conservatives in Westminster let the country down, closer to home, my residents have been betrayed by the failing Labour-run Wakefield Council, who have turned a place once known as the ‘Merrie City’ into a place many no longer recognise.
“In the Wakefield Rural ward, there has been a string of cases that showcase this incompetence, each impacting greatly on the daily lives of decent, law-abiding people.
“These decent ordinary folk are increasingly being walked over by those in power.
“The Conservative Party is neither willing nor able to stop this and give ordinary folk a voice again.
“I cannot sit and watch this happen with one hand tied behind my back for any longer.”
In a message to residents, Coun Harvey also said: “I want to assure you all that my level of commitment to this role and my core values remain the same.
“I’m more motivated than ever to create change for you and your family.
“This is not a decision that I have taken lightly, but one I’ve taken with Wakefield’s best interests at heart.
“Change is urgently needed to give us a city and country we can take pride in once again.
In response to the announcement, the Wakefield and Rothwell Conservatives group posted on Facebook: “We are disappointed by Councillor Harvey’s decision to leave the Conservative Party, having been elected twice under a Conservative mandate.
“Residents did not vote for a national protest party run from a central HQ, they voted for a local Conservative councillor to hold Labour to account and work for Wakefield.
“Defecting without seeking a fresh mandate denies residents a choice and weakens local accountability.
“It also reinforces wider concerns about Reform UK: loud rhetoric, but no local plan, no local manifesto, and no record of running councils responsibly.
“Wakefield does not need more political theatre.
“It needs serious local leadership, clear priorities and councillors who stand by the mandate they were elected on.
“We remain focused on one thing only: fixing Wakefield, holding Labour to account and offering residents a credible alternative grounded in competence, not protest.”