Why Nigel Farage believes Reform UK have 'real chance' of seizing Sunderland City Council
Nigel Farage has claimed his Reform UK party has a "real chance" of taking control of Sunderland City Council in the upcoming local elections.
The Clacton MP said he believes “political change” is in the air and his party “is clearly the favoured choice” in the area.
He was in the city for a rally to formally mark the start of Reform’s local elections campaign on Thursday evening at Sunderland Live Arena, in Houghton.
Sunderland City Council is currently run by Labour although all 75 seats on the local authority will be contested at the May 7 polls following an electoral ward review.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service before the rally began, Mr Farage noted Labour has been the “dominant party here for over 100 years, so it’s a big, big thing” but he is hopeful of Reform’s chances.
He said: “We proved down the road in Durham last year that we do have the potential to take on a fight and in some cases beat Labour in the North East.
“I actually think we’ve got a real chance of winning in Sunderland, I genuinely do.
“It almost becomes as much about national issues as it is about local issues and a referendum on Keir Starmer in some ways.”
He added: “I’m not going to be complacent about this, there’s a lot to do, but symbolically I’ve chosen Sunderland for our national campaign launch for a reason.”
Both nationwide and local issues will play a part in the polls in Sunderland, according to Mr Farage, who highlighted rising council tax bills “over the last five or 10 years for not much back in return”.
He continued: “It’s not easy running local government, the pressures are huge, adult social care bills, all of those things.
“But you know what, I think change is in the air, I think political change is in the air, we’ve had two parties running the country since the First World War, and we’re just approaching one of those big historic moments of change.
“Reform is clearly the favoured choice here, just as the Greens are in some of the inner cities. We’re living through the most extraordinary period of change.”
Reform UK experienced its first Sunderland City Council electoral success in November’s Hetton by-election when its candidate Councillor Ian McKinley comfortably won the previously Labour seat.
Yet he left the party just 76 days later.
Mr Farage said he was “disappointed” with the resignation and he hopes the candidates standing in May “will be good and true to us”.
He added he was “staggered” by the margin of Reform’s victory in the by-election and said it “bodes well” for May’s polls.
Mr Farage concluded: “There’s a lot to do, the race is not run yet, but we’re in with a fight with this, a real chance of winning and Labour know it.”
Labour Councillor Michael Mordey, city council leader, this week claimed Reform UK is “out of touch with the people of Sunderland”.
He added: “Sunderland is a city on the rise and our message to anyone else who loves the city is simple. Let’s keep it that way.
“The ongoing transformation of Sunderland city centre has changed how people around the world see Sunderland and the proof is there for all to see.”