Who are the two former Labour figures defecting to Reform?

Politics
4 Mar 2026 • 8:39 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

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  • Nigel Farage announced that two former senior Labour figures in London politics, Sir Robin Wales and Clive Furness, have defected to Reform UK.
  • Sir Robin Wales, the controversial former mayor of Newham, will serve as Reform UK's London director of local government, with Clive Furness as his senior advisor and mayoral candidate for Newham.
  • The defectors stated they switched parties because Labour has 'lost its moral compass' under Sir Keir Starmer and has failed Londoners.
  • Mr Farage acknowledged that Reform UK's current 'weakness' is a lack of 'experience on the front line'.
  • A London Labour spokesperson dismissed the defections, noting that neither individual had been part of the Labour movement for some time and Sir Robin was removed by local members.

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