Hertford and Stortford Reform UK members ready to fight for Herts County Council seats after Farage rally

Hertford and Stortford Reform UK members are relishing the prospect of May’s Hertfordshire County Council elections as the rallying cry of their leader Nigel Farage resounds across the region.

The chair of the new East Herts association, John Burmicz, manned a stand at the organisation’s East of England regional conference at Chelmsford City Racecourse on Saturday (January 4) during what proved to be a turbulent weekend.

On Sunday, just weeks after suggestions that American Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, was ready to bankroll the party, the controversial businessman called for Mr Farage to be replaced as leader of Reform UK.

The rift between the MP for Clacton and the owner of SpaceX, Tesla and social media platform X is believed to relate to Musk’s support for far right criminal Tommy Robinson.

After Musk’s comment, Mr Burmicz said: “Nigel Farage has done so much to get this party organised and I am not sure that anyone else could have done this. He is a bit Marmite for some, but his support is rock solid.

“The whole Tommy Robinson affair that started this is also quite toxic and he would certainly not be allowed to join Reform.

“Musk’s appreciation of the UK political system needs to be enlarged before he makes brash comments. His achievements are fantastic, but he needs to be more informed at ground level as to the UK’s political climate.”

On Saturday, those concerns were far away. Mr Burmicz, a former East Herts district and Sawbridgeworth town councillor who served as mayor, described the atmosphere as “electric”. He said 1,000 delegates packed the marquee for the event, which sold out in two days.

In last July’s General Election, Mr Burmicz took 15.4% of the votes – and third place behind Labour winner Josh Dean and Conservative Julie Marson – polling 8,325. His support in Hertford and Stortford mirrored Reform UK’s position nationwide. The party took 14% of the popular vote and returned five MPs to Westminster.

As Mr Farage addressed the conference in Chelmsford, the party’s membership passed 170,000 and Mr Burmicz said that across East Herts more than 650 had signed up.

“The whole room was buzzing with energy and a unified purpose of action,” he said.

He said the party had expected a good turnout but the response was “overwhelming”.

“We were well represented both from Hertfordshire in general and from Hertford and Stortford in particular.

“The demographic was also interesting as every age range was represented, from teens to pensioners. This is a good sign.

“In fact, the attraction of Reform to Gen Z was mentioned more than once. This is something that I encountered in the hustings before the last General Election.

“I think that it is important for young people to be aware of how their country is run, who is running it and what the Government’s priorities are.

“We have also started a reduced rate membership for under-25s to accommodate this enthusiasm.”

During the conference, he said, discussions ranged from fisheries to small business support. Quitting the Equality and Human Rights Commission also featured prominently.

Mr Burmicz said: “There were lighter moments, of course, and Lee Anderson [former Conservative and now Reform UK MP for Ashfield] was the first to make us all laugh.

“It was he, I believe, who coined the phrase ‘Rachel from Accounts’ and ‘Never here Kier’. I was lucky to spend a little time with him seriously discussing the shambles of the ‘Pouring Pints’ contestants on his GB News show.

“Nigel Farage’s contribution re [North West Essex MP] Kemi Badenoch was a knock-out. The now infamous ‘ticker’ turned to 170,000 members as he spoke… The timing was unbelievable.

“I hope that she stays as [Conservative] leader for the foreseeable future as she is doing us a great number of favours every time she makes a comment.

“The overwhelming feeling, however, was one of the need to address our societal decline. To take care of those who need care – elderly ex-service people and the incurably ill to mention a few; spend taxpayers’ money effectively at both local and national level; get rid of useless quangos and committees; stop illegal immigration; abandon the net zero farce and environmental levies; invest more in our military; raise the income tax threshold to £20,000 so that people keep more of what they earn.

“This, to me, sounds like a sensible trajectory. There will be opposition from vested interests for sure, but all of this is achievable and I do feel that the People’s Army will do it. Sense will prevail.”

Voters in Hertfordshire will elect a new county council on Thursday, May 1. All 78 seats will be up for grabs.

Currently, the East Herts district has 10 representatives, including eight Conservatives, among them Cllrs Graham McAndrew (Bishop’s Stortford Rural) and Alastair Ward-Booth (Bishop’s Stortford West).

The town’s East division is held by Liberal Democrat Calvin Horner. The Green Party’s Cllr Ben Crystall, leader of East Herts Council’s Green and Liberal Democrat administration, is also the county councillor for Hertford All Saints.

Mr Burmicz said: “I think you may be surprised as to who might be standing for us in the Herts County Council elections. We are looking to challenge all nine seats in the Hertford and Stortford area with Reform candidates.

“I have been involved not only as chair of this constituency association but also helping to get a candidate list together for other Hertfordshire areas as we have a policy to be of service to other parts of our county.”

The party has already kicked off campaigning. Before Christmas, committee member Jon Dann visited Bishop’s Stortford’s car boot sale in The Causeway to canvass residents.

He said feedback included the Government’s impact on household budgets, business confidence and farmers. He also reported “frustration about the current policies of the Hertford Greens and Lib Dems at East Herts Council”.