Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Teenager put in charge of council after local Reform leader’s swift departure

Related: Richard Tice defends 'free speech' after Reform UK chairman quits over 'dumb' burqa ban row
  • Reform's Rob Howard resigned as leader of Warwickshire County Council, citing health challenges, just weeks after being elected.
  • His 18-year-old deputy, George Finch, has taken over as interim leader, becoming responsible for the council's £1.5bn assets and £500m budget.
  • Howard's resignation follows a series of other newly-elected Reform councillors resigning or quitting their roles shortly after the local elections.
  • Despite these internal issues, a recent YouGov poll indicates a significant surge for Reform, projecting them to win the most seats if an election were held today.
  • The poll suggests Reform could jump to 271 MPs, potentially forming a minority government, while Labour's projected seats would significantly decrease to 178.
In full

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in