A former British National Party organiser in Kent may be about to throw a spanner in the works of Reform UK’s hopes of recovering a crucial county council seat in a by-election
When we last reported on the tangled tale of Graeme Sergeant, the former BNP organiser behind the “Restore UK Kent)” Facebook group, he presided over a truly confusing situation. One minute he was trying to set up a Kent Advance UK group, the next, one in support of Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain.
Another U-turn
He had just announced that, after bouncing between the two, he was finally reverting the group’s name back to “Advance UK (Kent)”.
Alas, readers hoping for a period of stability in the Sergeant saga will be disappointed.
Within days, the retired Herne Bay plumber and Millwall supporter had performed yet another U-turn, throwing in his lot with Restore Britain after all. On March 1 he posted that Restore was the party that ‘Stands for Women’.
Then, in posts to his group a couple of days later, Sergeant confirmed that he was back on board with Rupert Lowe’s fledgling outfit.
Provocative
And, more provocatively, he announced that he intended to field a Restore Britain candidate at the forthcoming Kent County Council by-election in the Cliftonville division, part of Margate in Thanet.
This, however, did not go down well with Advance UK whose National Deputy Director, Tim Power, responded sharply.
He pointed out that Restore Britain had not registered with the Electoral Commission as a political party and therefore could not fight the by-election under it own banner.
And he announced he was lodging a complaint with the EC.
Work in progress
His irritation at Sergeant’s latest manoeuvre is, in the circumstances, entirely understandable: Advance UK’s own South East operations are, to put it charitably, a work in progress, and the last thing the party needs is its nominal Kent organiser effectively defecting to a rival outfit while retaining access to the group he built in Advance UK’s name.
All of this makes the Cliftonville by-election especially interesting. Scheduled for 9 April, it was triggered by the jailing for 12 months of former Reform UK county councillor Daniel Taylor for controlling and coercive behaviour towards his wife.
This, presumably, would explain Sergeant’s Restore Britain pitch on behalf of women’s safety.
Taylor, elected with 40% of the vote as part of Reform’s landslide at Kent County Council last May, had already been expelled from Reform after his arrest came to light.
Open goal
The seat is thus a potentially open goal, and big hitters from all the major parties have made pilgrimage to the seaside in support of their local candidates.
Reform UK, badly hit by defections to Restore, is desperate to recover the seat, and is running Marc Rattigan, a nursery school owner and Thanet district councillor, with KCC council leader Linden Kemkaran on the stump in his support.
Restore Britain, meanwhile, now has seven members at Kent County Council, having attracted defectors from the Reform group, and has elected Paul Thomas as its council group leader.
The party’s national leadership has indicated that if it cannot register with the Electoral Commission in time to stand an official candidate, it may instead back a sympathetic independent.
A Restore Britain candidacy, however, whether official or by proxy, could prove decisive by splitting the Reform-and-rightwards vote and potentially handing the seat to Labour, the Greens, or the Conservatives.
Sergeant rides in
Into this febrile situation Sergeant has now inserted himself, apparently convinced that he is the man to deliver Restore Britain’s Thanet breakthrough.
Nomination papers must be submitted by 4pm on Wednesday (11 March). Whether Sergeant will manage to find a candidate, secure Restore Britain’s blessing, and navigate the Electoral Commission’s requirements in the days remaining is, to put it kindly, unclear.
Direct conflict
His track record in bringing political plans to fruition – the Herne Bay social event that attracted precisely one confirmed attendee, being a case in point – does not inspire confidence.
But what is clear is that his latest pivot will not please Reform UK at all, who may pay a price if he succeeds in fielding a candidate.
It has also brought him into direct conflict with Advance UK’s national leadership, a conflict that is playing out in a Facebook group whose name, given Sergeant’s track record, must still remain a matter of some uncertainty.
We will, of course, keep you posted.
