Moorlands Reform Councillor returns to Tories

A Reform UK county councillor in Staffordshire has defected to the Conservative Party, due to her experience of bullying and sexism within the party.

Charlotte Kelly was one of the 49 Reform councillors elected when the party took control of the authority in May 2025.

The 31-year-old, a previous Conservative member before her election, said her decision to rejoin the Tories was based on a "period of reflection" about her future.

The Leek rural councillor added she wanted to expose her experience of bullying and sexism, although Reform said her time with the party had been a source of ongoing disharmony within the group.