Two senior Labour figures within London’s local politics have joined Reform UK, Nigel Farage has announced.
Former Labour Newham council chief Sir Robin Wales and ex-councillor Clive Furness have joined Mr Farage’s party.
Mr Furness has been selected as Reform’s candidate for Mayor of Newham in the upcoming local elections while Sir Robin will act as Reform’s London director of local government.
Sir Robin Wales moved to Newham in 1978 and was first elected as a councillor in 1982. He became Leader of the council in 1995 and, in 2002, was elected as Newham’s first directly elected mayor, the first Labour mayor in England under that system, a role he held until 2018.
Under Sir Robin’s leadership, Newham was at the heart of the regeneration associated with the 2012 Summer Olympics.
He was was heavily involved in London’s Olympic delivery and legacy, including roles on the London Organising Committee and the Olympic Park Legacy Company, championing efforts to ensure residents benefited from jobs and development linked to the Games.
Sir Robin Wales in 2005 as Mayor of the London Borough of Newham celebrates the announcement of London won the bid to host the Olympics Credit: PA
Clive Furness joined the Labour Party in his early twenties and spent more than two decades representing residents on Newham council, particularly in the Canning Town North ward.
During his time on the council, he was a mayoral adviser working on issues related to social care and community wellbeing, and was part of the mayoral executive under successive administrations.
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