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Game of musical chairs for Reform as Tebbutt takes ‘new role’

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Just five days before their party leader is expected at the Fairfield Halls for a rally to be attended by “thousands” (in a Concert Hall with a capacity of fewer than 1,800), and Reform Ltd in Croydon has changed their local chair for the third time in barely nine months.

An email was sent to members of Croydon Reform on Monday evening, March 23, from Dan Tebbutt, announcing that the “branch committee of Reform UK Croydon” had re-appointed Nik Stewert as chairman, replacing Tebbutt.

Thrusting politician: Dan Tebbutt has stood down as Reform Ltd Croydon’s chair

Tebbutt had been chair only since November 19 last year. Before that, Stewert had been chair for less than six months.

No reason was given for this game of musical chairs, which comes with the local elections just a few weeks away and, as yet, not a single Reform council candidate confirmed in Croydon.

Nigel Farage, the millionaire grifter who fronts Reform Ltd, is expected to announce the party’s Croydon Mayor candidate on Saturday night.

He will do so against a backdrop of the local party in some turmoil.

Since January this year, Reform has deleted its Twatter account, removed its Faustbook page and erased its own website of all news items, including previous announcements of “local champions” – which looked very much like their picks to stand for election to the Town Hall.

Party insiders say that the Twatter account was removed on the advice of Peter Morgan, described by one now ex-party member as “bat-shit crazy”, but who describes himself as the “London data analyst” for Reform.

Morgan offered his advice because he felt that the party was subject to too much abusive commentary on the Elon Musk social media platform.

Reform Croydon’s X account had the grand total of 128 followers when it was deleted – well shy of the “People’s Army” that Farage keeps banging on about.

No reason was given in Monday’s email to members for Tebbutt’s resignation as local chair.

From 2019, Tebbutt was a Labour councillor in North West Leicestershire District Council, who then defected to the Conservatives, before he moved to Croydon, where he campaigned for Labour at the 2024 London mayoral election and General Election.

He then re-joined the Tories before landing up at Reform last year.

Resignation letter: the email received by Reform Ltd members on Monday

While working in Croydon at His Majesty’s Revenue and Excise, Tebbutt was the vice-chair of the Civil Service LGBT+ Network.

Reform in Croydon is understood to have seen its membership halve since last summer, down to around 800 by the start of 2026.

In his email to the remaining Reform members, Tebbutt said: “Leading the Reform UK branch in Croydon has been one of the greatest pleasures of my life, and I’m proud of how, with the support of my committee, we’ve gone from strength to strength since I took over.”

Tebbutt then said that he is now moving “into a new role which will be pivotal to our success in Croydon”.

But he left Reform members guessing as to what that role might be.

His replacement, Stewert, had previously been chair of the Croydon Conservative Federation – so another defective Tory.

And clearly still struggling for suitable candidates for the local elections on May 7, the email included a sweet little PS: “There’s still time to apply to become a council candidate for this year’s historic round of local elections.”

Reform, which is a limited company that depends on massive donations from overseas “supporters”, charges £200 for people to be accepted as council election candidates. Or £1,000 if you want to be a council Mayor.

Read more: Reform party official wants to scrap vital New Addington trams
Read more: Farage party picked a dead woman to run for Croydon Mayor
Read more: Mayor Perry failed to stop Farage rally in council-owned venue

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