Reform UK Northumberland County Councillors, Nicole Brooke (Berwick North) and Patrick Lambert (Norham and Islandshires), have been expelled from their party.
While the story is updating, Cllr Nicole Brooke made the following statement:
‘Many of you will be aware that I was recently suspended from the party, pending an internal investigation into my conduct. Until now, I’ve remained silent — not because I had nothing to say, but because I was respecting the ongoing process and the limitations placed on me during that time.
I have now been informed that the investigation has concluded and a Reform UK Disciplinary Panel has decided to withdraw the whip and remove me from the party. I want to take this opportunity to set out my side of the story.Background..
You don’t need to be deeply involved in local politics to know that Reform UK made a significant breakthrough at Northumberland County Council in May 2025. We became the second-largest party and the official opposition, while winning the popular vote. We were only a thousand or so votes shy — countywide — of taking control of the council, only to be held back by the “first past the post” system.
That momentum, however, has not been maintained. Since May, Reform UK’s performance at the Council has been disappointing. From motions that attracted widespread ridicule to misguided attacks on respected organisations like the RNLI, and statements in the Chamber that veered into conspiratorial territory — our group has not lived up to voters’ expectations. This is not what the people of Northumberland voted for, and they deserve better.
On Leadership!
There are many decent, hardworking councillors in the Reform UK group. I’ve been proud to serve alongside them. Most are ordinary people who stepped forward out of frustration with the state of politics, determined to make a difference — and they deserve credit for that.
That said, leadership matters, and where there is a failure of leadership, accountability must follow.
Unfortunately, under the current leadership, Reform UK’s group at County Hall has floundered. No clear direction, no strategic vision, and absolutely no challenge to either the Conservatives or Labour — the very parties voters rejected so firmly in May.
Council meetings are characterised by silence from our leader. Internal meetings lack structure and purpose. Responsibilities are passed to others. The basics aren’t being done. Reform UK is the only group in the county currently moving backwards — and the responsibility for that falls squarely at the feet of the local group leadership.
The Vote of No Confidence!
There has been speculation online about a vote of no confidence in the current leader. To clarify: while no formal vote has been held, a significant majority of Reform UK councillors agreed that change was necessary. Sixteen councillors — well over the number required for a majority — supported a collective letter calling for a formal process to elect a new leader to be initiated.
That letter, which I sent to Reform UK HQ and which was co-signed and sent in good faith, was to seek advice on how to begin an internal, procedural discussion about leadership. I did not act alone, nor did I seek to position myself for leadership. I was simply the messenger and the point of contact.
Following advice from HQ, we arranged a meeting at Ashington Cricket Club to hold a vote. Again, this was a group effort — I simply coordinated the communication.
Suspension and Expulsion!
On the morning of the meeting, I was suspended from the party on the following charges:
• Sending a letter claiming to be signed by 15 other councillors
• Trying to organise a meeting at short notice in order to hold a vote of no confidence in the group leader
The twist? Reform UK accused me of breaching its internal rules — rules which had never been shared with councillors.
According to Reform UK’s own rules (which I have since seen), it was the current group leader’s responsibility to “ensure all group members receive, understand and adhere to the group rules”. Those rules were never distributed. My “offence” was therefore based on a technicality — one precipitated by the current group leader’s own failure to carry out his duty.
It’s the political equivalent of being sent off in a match where the referee never explained the rules to the players.
In hindsight, my colleagues and I could have handled things more carefully. We are, after all, recently elected councillors finding our feet. But the central issue remains: this situation was triggered by a breakdown in leadership and was compounded by an absent, disinterested head office that has never once picked up the phone to hear my side of the story.
In Closing and to the future..
There is no scandal here — just a group of committed local councillors attempting to improve the performance of their party and better serve their residents.
If I am guilty of anything, it is of caring about the future of Reform UK in Northumberland and wanting to ensure that the residents of Berwick North — and the wider county — are represented by a party that takes its responsibilities seriously.
I wish my former colleagues all the best. I hope Reform UK continues to professionalise and grow into the force for positive change that so many people believe it can be. And I sincerely hope that lessons are learned from this episode on all sides — for the good of the party, the council and, most importantly, the public we serve.
To the future, I will remain the elected Northumberland County Councillor for Berwick North, sitting as a non-aligned independent councillor, working hard for the residents of Berwick North.
There’s so much more to come -onwards and upwards. 😉🇬🇧’
The Bridge will update as the story unfolds.