The biggest question ahead of Thursday, May 7, is if the Lib Dems can retain control
A third of Hull City Council is up for election on May 7(Image: Rui Vieira/PA Wire)
Just days away from what seems set to be a historic election at Hull City Council, the war of words between the council’s current big players and election hopefuls, Reform UK continues. Reform UK has accused leader of Hull City Council, the Liberal Democrats‘ Cllr Mike Ross of “desperation” after he recently shared a ‘Stop Reform UK’ tactical vote page on social media.
Next week, on May 7, voters in 19 of the council’s 21 wards will head to the polls, as a third of seats are up for grabs. Going into the election, the big question seems to be whether the ruling Lib Dems can keep their majority in the council. The party, led by Cllr Ross, currently has a majority of just one. If they were to come out of next week’s election with just one fewer seat, they would have to rely on support from elsewhere in the chamber
The other big question will be if Reform UK can replicate their success in last year’s Mayoral election which saw former Olympic boxer Luke Campbell elected as Hull and East Yorkshire’s first Mayor. Despite Reform not having any seats in the Guildhall currently, the party’s leader Nigel Farage recently told Hull Live he believes his party can pick up “a really really good number” of seats in Hull on May 7.
Hull City Council‘s current political weighting is as follows:
- 29 – Liberal Democrats
- 23 – Labour Party
- 5 – Independent (3 of which form an Independent Group led by Cllr Wareing)
With the prospect of Reform picking up seats seemingly in mind, Cllr Ross recently shared a tactical voting website on his Facebook page. The ‘Stop Reform UK’ site seeks to tell voters who is mostly likely to beat Reform in specific areas.
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The website claims that in 13 of the 19 council wards, voting Liberal Democrat is the tactical vote. Interestingly, Cllr Ross was willing to share the post which showed voting Labour – the Lib Dems’ fierce rivals in Hull – being the likeliest way to prevent a Reform victory in five wards. Cllr Ross wrote: “Together we can stop Reform UK in Hull.”
When asked more about his post and whether he would approve voters putting a cross in the Labour box in the wards where they are the designated tactical vote, Cllr Mike Ross said: “Across many parts of the city, the Labour vote has completely collapsed, and it is a clear choice between the Lib Dems and Reform.
“If you want to beat Reform and elect a local champion who will work hard for you, then vote Liberal Democrat, as this advice says. Reform has shown its true colours in this election. They have at least four candidates who don’t live in Hull and a candidate in Sutton with an incredibly questionable social media history.
“The best way to stop Reform UK in Hull is to follow this clear independent advice. It’s clear Reform UK are not interested in making Hull a cleaner, safer and more welcoming place to live, instead, they just want to further Nigel Farage’s divisive politics.”
When approached for comment on Cllr Ross’ post and the notion of tactical voting, the leader of the Hull Labour Group, Cllr Daren Hale said: “We completely share the concerns many residents feel about a potential Reform win in these elections, and understand the wish to vote tactically to prevent this happening. However, people in Hull should be wary about tactical voting advice being dished out by unreliable or misleading sources: one such website being shared currently suggests voting Lib Dem in some wards currently held by Labour, even though the Lib Dems are not in play in these areas.
“This can only mean a split vote, and a Reform win. Labour will continue campaigning positively across Hull right up until 10pm on the 7th of May, and we ask all residents to help prevent a divisive and dangerous Reform win in this election.”
Responding to Cllr Ross’ post, and the words from both the council leader and Cllr Hale, a Reform spokesperson in Hull said: “This is yet another example of the Lib Dems and Labour running a desperate, negative campaign built entirely around attacking Reform UK instead of addressing the real issues facing Hull. You’ve got Cllr Mike Ross pushing so called “tactical voting” advice, while Daren Hale is warning that the exact same advice could hand victory to Reform. It’s confused, contradictory, and frankly desperate, it shows just how worried they both are. Mike Ross also talks about “local champions,” yet conveniently ignores the fact he isn’t a Hull lad, he’s from Kent. Meanwhile, every single Reform UK candidate, all 19, are local Hull people with genuine ties to the communities they’re standing in.
“The reality is this: for weeks now, the Lib Dem and Labour campaigns have focused almost entirely on mentioning Reform UK, smearing candidates, and trying to mislead voters. It shows a complete lack of ideas, weak leadership, and a campaign driven by desperation. The people of Hull can see straight through it. They’re tired of excuses and tired of the begging tactics. On May 7th, the voters of Hull will hold the Lib Dems and Labour to account, and no amount of tactical spin will change that.”
A full list of candidates running in Hull can be found here.
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