Hartlepool’s former Conservative leader Mike Young joins Reform UK

A former borough council leader has defected from the Conservatives and joined Reform UK, saying he no longer has “confidence” in the party’s leadership.

Councillor Mike Young, who previously led Hartlepool Borough Council, said he quit the Tories as “only Reform has the answers”.

The Rural West ward councillor said he did not want progress made during his time as leader “scuppered nor lost”.

He becomes the fourth Reform UK councillor on the local authority, which is now led by Labour, and the second local Tory to defect. One local Conservative told the BBC “no comment” when approached for reaction.

Young was first elected in a by-election in July 2018 and has held his seat ever since, serving as leader in the 2023/24 municipal year. He had been the group’s leader on the council.

He said: “I no longer have confidence that the Conservative Party, nationally or locally, can provide the leadership to meet the challenges facing our town and our country.

“When I served as leader of Hartlepool Borough Council, we began to turn the tide.

“We laid important foundations for economic growth through investment and regeneration. That progress must not be scuppered nor lost.”

In May, Amanda Napper secured the first seat for Reform UK on the council since 2021 with victory in the Throston by-election.

It came after she finished second to Labour’s Jonathan Brash in the 2024 General Election.

Councillor Rob Darby defected from the Tories to Reform UK a week on from Napper’s success, adding he believed the Conservative Party had “left him” and he felt “let down by so many broken promises”.

Reform UK’s third seat on the local authority was secured by Ed Doyle in a second Throston by-election held in July for another seat in the ward, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Hartlepool Borough Council is now made up of 22 Labour representatives, five independents, four Conservatives, four Reform UK councillors and one Independent Union representative.

The BBC has contacted a number of local Conservatives for comment, which will be added to the story if received.