Hertfordshire councillor leaves Labour Party ‘without vision’ and defects to Reform UK

A Labour borough councillor in Stevenage has defected to Reform UK.

Cllr Mason Humberstone, who was elected to represent Old Town ward in May 2023, becomes the first Reform councillor on the authority.

The leader of Labour-run Stevenage Borough Council accused Cllr Humberstone – who has been to less than a third of the meetings he was expected to attend – of “jumping ship for personal and political gain” and called for a by-election.

Cllr Humberstone’s decision comes four months after Reform UK won five of the six Stevenage seats on Hertfordshire County Council.

Explaining his move, he said: “I haven’t left the Labour Party, Labour has left us.

“The party I joined is lost, without vision, and I no longer know who it is working for. Too often it serves a metropolitan elite disconnected from the realities of the people it is meant to represent.

“When policies are pursued to the detriment of the British people, I cannot in good conscience remain aligned with a party that wilfully undermines our great democracy and country.

“Reform is the only party capable of delivering the change we need and of finally putting our nation and the British people first.”

Council leader Cllr Richard Henry told the Local Democracy Reporting Service he was “really disappointed” by Cllr Humberstone’s decision.

Cllr Henry accused him of “jumping ship with no fair warning, for personal and political gain” and called for him to “seek a new mandate from Old Town residents in a by-election”.

He said: “I made every attempt, above and beyond what would be considered reasonable, to accommodate and mentor Cllr Humberstone as he brought many challenges to the table in terms of his attendance, punctuality, adherence to commitments, dedication to the role and much more.”

In the last year, Cllr Humberstone has been to 10 of the 33 council and committee meetings he was expected to attend.

A local Labour party source said: “Mason showed a lot of promise and potential when he joined the party, but the reality is he fell extremely below the mark.”

Kevin Bonavia, Stevenage’s Labour MP, backed calls for a by-election and said he was “deeply disappointed” Cllr Humberstone had moved to a party which “thrives on fear and division and has no practical solutions for our country’s future”.

Mr Bonavia added: “I will not be distracted by political opportunism as I continue to focus on working day and night to secure positive changes for our town and villages as our local MP.”

A Reform UK spokesperson said they were “delighted” Cllr Humberstone had joined the party and added: “We welcome anyone who shares our vision for integrity, accountability and meaningful change to join us.”

In March, former Conservative Cllr Graham McAndrew, an East Herts Council member for Bishop’s Stortford Thorley Manor, defected to Reform UK, becoming the party’s first member on the district authority. He rejected calls to stand down so that a by-election could be held.

In May, he was joined by Cllr Terry Smith who won a by-election in Braughing and Standon.