Spot the Reform members: police made 31 arrests for public order offences at yesterday’s Unite The Nation event in central London organised by serial criminal Stephen Yaxley-Lennon
INSIDE SUTTON: Yesterday we reported how the borough’s two newest councillors are already making a grifters’ grab for tens of thousands of pounds in public money. Now CARL SHILTON investigates some of the dodgy-looking associations that Reform’s Alison Long and Janey Gould don’t want to answer questions about
Thanking a fraudster: Alison Long’s message to Billy Cooper and his far-right pals after she got elected
Sutton’s newest councillors, Reform Ltd’s Alison Long and Janey Gould, haven’t even attended their first public council meeting since their election last week, but Farage’s grifters have already made a grab for tens of thousands of pounds of public cash, as the duo claim they are the borough’s official opposition.
Sutton’s local elections returned 51 Liberal Democrat councillors, two Reform, one Labour and one independent. Labour’s Dave Tchil and Beddington independent Nick Mattey have formed an alliance to block Reform’s pair of councillors from claiming the status of Sutton’s official opposition, which would see one of Long or Gould claim £32,654 in allowances and special responsibility allowances for the coming year.
Outside of St Helier West ward, where Long and Gould were elected, little is known about the pair, who are refusing to talk to the local papers, under strict orders from Farage’s company’s national HQ.
Both work in health services. Alison Long is a registered nurse, while Janey Gould works for the Epsom and St Helier Trust, the NHS Trust which run St Helier Hospital.
Nothing much wrong with that, although millionaire Farage’s promises to his overseas donors to replace the NHS with an American-style insurance system ought to be ringing alarm bells for anyone who works and truly cares for the sector.
More troubling still is that Reform’s new Sutton councillors say that they owe thanks to some far-right chancers with dodgy histories.
Alison Long went out of her way last weekend to thank local “patriot”, insurance fraudster Billy Cooper, and his “team”, for helping out in the election campaign, including organising a St George’s Day flag-shaggers’ “festival” in St Helier.
Rabble rouser: Billy Cooper at the racist riot in Epsom last month
In 2018, Brighton Crown Court described Cooper as “fundamentally dishonest”, after he was caught trying to make a £98,000 insurance claim against Aviva. Cooper’s insurance claim said that injuries stopped him from taking on construction work, while his social media posts showed him at regular roofing gigs.
Cooper’s St George’s Day event was attended by several associates of Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, the racist serial criminal who calls himself Tommy Robinson.
Speaking at the event was Danny “Tommo” Thomas, who had arrived hot-foot from inciting a racists’ riot in Epsom over unfounded and false allegations of a gang rape. Thomas has previous convictions for drug dealing and, in 2016, attempted kidnapping, which saw him do jail time.
“Billy and his team have been an amazing rock, supporting the St Helier West and East team over the last few months,” Councillor Long wrote on Facebook last week.
Being associated with criminals and fraudsters does not appear to trouble Sutton Reform.
Fact-based journalism, however, such as Inside Sutton’s report yesterday, does appear to have rattled some of Long and Gould’s Reform supporters.
Anonymous (of course) social media commenters in the past 24 hours have accused Tchil and Mattey of “dirty tricks”. Yet it was Mattey who got the call to a private telephone number from someone claiming to be from Reform and who was “aggressive”. The call to Mattey came shortly after he had spoken to Reform councillor Long about the situation over the council’s official opposition.
The Sutton public have a choice to make – who do they believe, long-established and publicly trusted councillors like Dave Tchil and Nick Mattey? Or Farage’s far-right fantasists who cosy up to criminals and fraudsters?
Read more: Beddington councillor receives phone threat from Reform
Read more: Farage party picked a dead woman to run for Croydon Mayor
Read more: Orangewash: Reform Ltd hands Sutton council to the LibDems
Read more: Sutton budget passes with £34.5m deficits to come by 2029
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