Reform UK have lost their sole councillor in Reading in the 2026 elections.
Clarence Mitchell was the only Reform UK councillor on Reading Borough Council after defecting from the Conservatives in January.
Following the election on Thursday, May 7, Mr Mitchell lost his seat in Emmer Green ward to Conservative challenger Alex Smith.
Mr Mitchell came in third place with 805 votes behind Hannah Connibear, the Green Party candidate, with 1,103 votes and Alex Smith with 1,143 votes.
It was the first result announced during the count on Friday, May 8.
Mr Mitchell was elected as a Conservative for Emmer Green in 2021 and the all-out elections in 2022.
Reacting to the result, he said: “Obviously, on a personal level, it’s disappointing. I’ve been proud and privileged to have served the people of Emmer Green for the last five years, to the best of my ability. I’m very grateful for everybody that voted for me.
“Nationally, though, it’s looking really good for Reform, there’ve been many gains and many more to come.
“So although we haven’t got over the line in Reading tonight, I think we’ve got a great base on which to build.
“If you look at the total for the reform votes across the town, that’s a huge vote that we didn’t even know existed before that.
“So there are people out there who want and are crying out for a credible alternative centre-right party, and there’s a lot for us to build on here.
“So I’m personally disappointed, but in terms of the party, we’ve got a great future and we’ve put down a real marker for Reform UK in Reading, which for so many years has been considered an almost impregnable Labour stronghold. That’s not the case now.
“People can see from the votes for us that we’ll come back even stronger in future elections from next year onwards.”
Mr Mitchell got the highest votes out of any Reform UK candidate in Reading.
The next best performer was Steven Low in Tilehurst, who received 763 votes, coming second to Liberal Democrat imcumbent cllr Meri O’Connell, who prevailed with 1,144 votes, a majority of 381.
Stephen Ruston in Kentwood received 736 votes, and was pipped to second place by Conservative candidate David Milne-Buckley with 775 votes.
Ultimately, cllr Glenn Dennis won with 1,014 votes, keeping his seat in Kentwood for the Labour Party.
Reform came second place in Church ward, with Matthew Reynolds receiving 680 votes and in Whitley ward, where Richie Sahni got 612 votes.
Both of these were won by incumbent councillors Ruth McEwan for Church, winning with 1,095 votes and a majority of 415, and Rachel Eden, who won with 919 votes and a majority of 307.
Nationally, Reform UK have been the biggest victor in the local elections, winning 406 seats at the time of writing, ahead of 262 Conservatives and 261 Liberal Democrats.
