A PROMINENT Conservative councillor has switched his allegiance to Reform UK ahead of the forthcoming local council elections in Thurrock.

At a rally featuring fireworks and a cascade of glitter at the Circus Tavern in Purfleet last night (Wednesday, 18 March), Little Thurrock councillor Tom Kelly joined Reform leader Nigel Farage on stage to announce his switch.

Mr Farage, and Reform UK Chairman Dr David Bull, addressed local supporters at the event, where they pledged to turn Essex into a Reform stronghold.

To back up that pledge Cllr Kelly was produced to announce his defection from the Tories.

Cllr Kelly cut his election teeth in 2008 when he stood for the Lib Dems in Little Thurrock Rectory but came last in a five candidate race won easily by Tory Joy Redsell. 

Tom Kelly started his political career as a Lib Dem

In 2010 Cllr Kelly was unsuccessful again, having switched to the Conservatives and failed to defend the Tory seat in Stifford Clays, losing to Labour's Angie Gaywood by 76 votes but the following year he was elected in the Little Thurrock Rectory ward, retaining the seat for the Tories – and he has subsequently won three elections in the seat, seeing off a UKIP challenge in 2015 and then a Thurrock Independent party attempt to unseat him in 2019, when he beat his now Reform colleague Russell Cherry by 160 votes.

Cllr Kelly retained the seat in 2023 by just 30 votes from Labour, with Russell Cherry a distant third.

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Nigel Farage welcomed Tom Kelly to the stage.

At last night's rally he was introduced to the audience by Nigel Farage, who said he was 'pleased to announce a defector'.

He said: "Cllr Tom Kelly is a Conservative councillor. He's been a councillor since 2011, he's joining our Thurrock team today. He brings with him great experience and also knowledge of where it all went wrong and what we need to do to start putting it right."

Cllr Kelly was an integral part of the Conservative administration that took the council into effective bankruptcy under his ward colleague Rob Gledhill's leadership, culminating in government intervention and a debt of more than £1 billion in 2022. He served as chair of the council's planning committee for a number of years and remains on it currently.

Consistently during that time he has been a supporter of substantive development in the borough's green belt, most recently telling residents in Stanford and Corringham who were objecting to major development in the area that it was 'time for them to take their share'.

As he walked on the stage at the Circus Tavern he thanked Mr Farage 'for the opportunity', then addressed the audience.

"I've had the privilege now of being a councillor in Thurrock for the last ten years. And what I have witnessed as a local councillor is seismic change in British politics.

"No longer can the two-party system of old be relied on and, quite frankly, your votes can no longer be taken for granted.

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"Reform is a positive movement. What you want is secure borders, lower energy prices and you back business.

"So that is why I have made the decision today to leave the Conservative party and join Reform.

Nigel Farage was joined on stage by prospective Reform candidates in Thurrock.

"Together we must get our economy growing again, especially here in Thurrock. Thurrock is a proud borough with a great heritage of manufacturing and port logistics. For some reason Thurrock seems to be on the backfoot because of Labour's ludicrous net zero policies.

"I'm really looking forward to working with this great team."

It is not yet known where Cllr Kelly, now the fourth Reform member on the council alongside another Tory defector Alex Anderson, and Alan Benson who were elected in by-elections last year, will stand.