Reform council leader survives no confidence vote

Reform UK council leader George Finch has survived a no confidence call by one vote.

The vote was carried out at Warwickshire County Council's full council meeting after Green Party councillors suggested he had "abused the office of leader".

Twenty six councillors voted for the motion and 27 against, while two councillors abstained from voting.

Finch, who made headlines last year after becoming the youngest council leader in the UK at 19, said residents wanted "common sense leadership, not a coalition of chaos".

Warwickshire Green Party group leader Jonathan Chilvers said he had submitted the motion due to incidents including a dispute with police over their handling of a case involving the rape of a 12-year-old girl and a row with the council's chief executive, Monica Fogarty, over Pride flags.

Speaking at the meeting, Chilvers said the motion was not one he brought lightly.

He said: "This motion is about actions and behaviour. Politics is about rough and tumble… but it's also about kindness and treating people as human beings.

"He asked us to judge him on his actions as leader, and his actions have fallen short."

But Finch labelled the move by the Greens to remove him as a "political stunt" and defended his actions.

He previously told the BBC he "stood strong with the community", and that questioning the integrity of Warwickshire Police's chief constable had been a call for clarity.

"There's nothing wrong with doing that," he said.

Fellow Reform councillor Neil Garland backed Finch at the meeting, adding before the vote: "If we endorse this motion, we send a message to the public that voting does not matter.

Garland encouraged councillors to "reject this political theatre and stand firmly behind Councillor Finch".

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