Reform UK Chairman Zia Yusuf has taken aim at "colluding" Labour and Conservatives after the decision to postpone local elections in May.
More than five million people will be deprived of the right to vote in local Government after it was announced that local elections in East Sussex, West Sussex, Essex, Thurrock, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Norfolk, Suffolk and Surrey will be delayed for one year.
In a press conference in the heart of Westminster today, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage declared that there was "no justification" for the move, and said he was "bloomin' angry" with the Prime Minister for the decision.
Speaking to GB News, Chairman Zia Yusuf accused the two main parties in Government of "colluding" to bring down Reform UK, and how the party "will not stand for it".
Yusuf told the People's Channel: "I think it's important that the people of the United Kingdom send a message that only dictators council elections. With Reform, we have all the momentum in British politics.
"We have the wind in our sails, and as a result of all of this momentum, the Tories and Labour have colluded to deprive 5.5 million people of their right to vote, and there's nothing acceptable about that whatsoever."
Noting how many of the councils are located in counties that were projected to secure victory by Reform UK at local and national elections, such as Essex, Yusuf implored supporters of the party to "sign the petition" they have launched against the decision or to vote for Reform candidates in the areas they are able to stand in.
Yusuf explained: "There was nothing about this in Labour's manifesto at all. It is clearly because of the rise of Reform and the fact that areas like Essex, which is our strongest county in the United Kingdom, there will no now no longer be elections in Essex in May.
"I implore everybody watching this, please go and sign the petition. But secondly, if you're watching this in an area in which elections are still happening, please turn out and vote for your Reform candidates."
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Echoing the remarks made by Farage in the Reform UK press conference, in which he "promised to stand a candidate" in "every single district" possible.
Yusuf stated: "We are going to stand a candidate in every single seat. It's really important you get out and vote, because we've got to send a message to Labour and the Tories that only dictators cancel elections and we won't stand for it.
"I want everybody watching this to understand the speed and momentum that Reform has."
Hailing the rise of Reform UK in the polls, Yusuf revealed that the party has had over "5000 applicants" for candidates across the country.
He concluded: "The stuff behind the scenes that Nigel works incredibly hard on, and the majority of time he spends on and so do I, obviously building that branch infrastructure and the ground game and ensuring we can actually stand in all of these seats.
"We've had well over 5000 applicants to be candidates across the United Kingdom. I'm telling you, based on all of the applications we've had, the people who are getting onto our approved list, we will stand candidates in every single seat in May."
Announcing Reform UK's petition against the cancellations, Farage told his supporters: "We've launched our petition on this, which nearly a quarter of a million people have signed already. We are blooming angry. This is wrong.
"The political weather has changed in local government over the course of the last four years, and people deserve to have a say."
Find Out More...
More than five million people will be deprived of the right to vote in local Government after it was announced that local elections in East Sussex, West Sussex, Essex, Thurrock, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Norfolk, Suffolk and Surrey will be delayed for one year.
In a press conference in the heart of Westminster today, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage declared that there was "no justification" for the move, and said he was "bloomin' angry" with the Prime Minister for the decision.
Speaking to GB News, Chairman Zia Yusuf accused the two main parties in Government of "colluding" to bring down Reform UK, and how the party "will not stand for it".
Yusuf told the People's Channel: "I think it's important that the people of the United Kingdom send a message that only dictators council elections. With Reform, we have all the momentum in British politics.
"We have the wind in our sails, and as a result of all of this momentum, the Tories and Labour have colluded to deprive 5.5 million people of their right to vote, and there's nothing acceptable about that whatsoever."
Noting how many of the councils are located in counties that were projected to secure victory by Reform UK at local and national elections, such as Essex, Yusuf implored supporters of the party to "sign the petition" they have launched against the decision or to vote for Reform candidates in the areas they are able to stand in.
Yusuf explained: "There was nothing about this in Labour's manifesto at all. It is clearly because of the rise of Reform and the fact that areas like Essex, which is our strongest county in the United Kingdom, there will no now no longer be elections in Essex in May.
"I implore everybody watching this, please go and sign the petition. But secondly, if you're watching this in an area in which elections are still happening, please turn out and vote for your Reform candidates."
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
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- MAPPED: The nine councils postponing local elections in 'collusion' move that could topple Reform
- Reform UK posing 'genuine threat' to Labour after Starmer's PMQs jibe at Farage
Echoing the remarks made by Farage in the Reform UK press conference, in which he "promised to stand a candidate" in "every single district" possible.
Yusuf stated: "We are going to stand a candidate in every single seat. It's really important you get out and vote, because we've got to send a message to Labour and the Tories that only dictators cancel elections and we won't stand for it.
"I want everybody watching this to understand the speed and momentum that Reform has."
Hailing the rise of Reform UK in the polls, Yusuf revealed that the party has had over "5000 applicants" for candidates across the country.
He concluded: "The stuff behind the scenes that Nigel works incredibly hard on, and the majority of time he spends on and so do I, obviously building that branch infrastructure and the ground game and ensuring we can actually stand in all of these seats.
"We've had well over 5000 applicants to be candidates across the United Kingdom. I'm telling you, based on all of the applications we've had, the people who are getting onto our approved list, we will stand candidates in every single seat in May."
Announcing Reform UK's petition against the cancellations, Farage told his supporters: "We've launched our petition on this, which nearly a quarter of a million people have signed already. We are blooming angry. This is wrong.
"The political weather has changed in local government over the course of the last four years, and people deserve to have a say."
Find Out More...