Reform abandons bid to run Birmingham after rivals rule out alliance
The battle to run Europe’s largest local authority took a fresh twist today, as the leader of Reform in Birmingham said it would be unable to take over the city council.
Reform group leader, Cllr Jex Parkin, said other parties had refused to work with them following last week’s elections, leaving them unable to form an administration.
The party went from having no councillors at all in the city to becoming the largest block on the council after mopping up 22 wards on Thursday night, but it fell well short of the 51 seats needed for an overall majority.
The result left all four major groups on the council scrambling to form a minority administration with other parties, and the 13 independent councillors also elected last week.
Despite dropping 48 seats, former incumbents Labour have 17 seats on the council while the Conservatives hold 16, and the Liberal Democrats hold 12. The Green Party are the second-largest party on the authority with 19 seats.
The Liberal Democrat and Conservative groups ruled out a coalition deal in the immediate aftermath of the poll, while Labour and the Green Party would make unlikely bedfellows for Reform.
As a result, the Birmingham Reform group leader, Cllr Jex Parkin, says his party have given up on plans to run the authority after it became clear they would be unable to form an administration.
“Although we are the largest party, other groups have made it clear that they refuse to work with us, meaning there is no viable route for Reform to take control of the council,” he said via a statement.
“Given that Birmingham has also clearly elected a left-wing majority, we have accepted that we will unfortunately be unable to form an administration.
“We are committed to being a constructive opposition, ensuring the new leadership is effectively scrutinised in order to get our city back on track.”
Talks will now continue among other parties in an effort to break the deadlock.
Speaking on the BBC’s Politics Midlands, Liberal Democrat group leader Roger Harmer ruled out working with Reform, but said they would be reaching out to the other parties with shared aspirations for the city.
“It’s not unworkable, it’s our duty as elected councillors to work with what the citizens of Birmingham have given us, and that’s what we’ll do,” he said.
