Nottinghamshire's ruling Reform UK group is refusing to talk to the local media

Nottinghamshire County Council's ruling Reform UK group has cut off all contact with the Nottingham Post and the related Nottinghamshire Live website. Because this policy includes Local Democracy Reporting Service reporters, the BBC and other local newspapers are also affected by it.

Oliver Pridmore writes on the Nottingham Post site:

What has prompted this unprecedented turn of events? It was my recent article on the ongoing discussions about local government reorganisation (LGR).

The article included a claim that two Reform UK councillors said at a public surgery that they could be suspended from their county council group if they did not vote for Councillor [Mick] Barton's preference of a bigger Nottingham council covering Broxtowe and Gedling.

The article repeatedly referred to the fact that this was merely a claim and noted who that claim had come from. We also went to both Councillor Barton and the two Reform UK councillors concerned ahead of publication and explicitly told them about the claim.

Councillor Barton did not wish to comment on the claim directly, whilst the two Reform councillors who allegedly made it both sent identical messages which did not explicitly deny the claim. The article was published on Thursday (August 21) and news on how Reform have decided to react was confirmed on Tuesday (August 26).

The news comes just a couple of months after Reform's Ashfield MP Lee Anderson launched a dangerous attack on Nottinghamshire Live for running too many "negative" stories about his party. A piece on the cost of a by-election caused by a Reform councillor resigning days into office prompted Mr Anderson to describe some forms of public scrutiny as "pointless" and to disparage local journalism as not being a "proper job".

These bullying tactics are a reminder of how much Reform politicians admire Donald Trump. Yet we saw only yesterday the important role the local media can play in exposing wrongdoing by local councillors - in the case it happens that it was a Reform councillor involved.

Is Lee Anderson the Balrog? It's the question everyone is asking

You fear to go into those mines. The Dwarves delved too greedily and too deep.

That was Moria, where they let loose the Balrog.

The Dwarves were similarly ill advised in the Nottinghamshire coalfield and they let loose Lee Anderson.

Andrew Bridgen vs Lee Anderson - it's the fight you wish both sides could lose

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Yesterday I tweeted the Independent's account of the Westminster altercation between Andrew Bridgen and Lee Anderson. In it, one wtiness described Anderson as "aggressive and out of control".

In the interests of balance, here (via GB News) is a very different view from Nana Akua:

The altercation was in fact initiated by Andrew Bridgen, who came over to our table opening the conversation with what I thought was a warm welcome.

He stood beside me, leant over and put his arm around my side in a welcoming gesture. However, it was anything but that, it was in fact a rouse for an abusive tirade directed at Lee Anderson.

Andrew was clearly very angry and accused Lee of expelling him from the party.

Lee was caught off guard as we all were as Andrew continued to badger him aggressively but with a smile on his face.

Despite Lee stating clearly that he was not aware that Andrew had been expelled and that this was the first he had heard of it, Andrew persisted.

... I don’t have the exact transcript or wording of the conversation, but it was an offensive, aggressive and deeply unpleasant tirade directed at Mr. Anderson. Andrew was spoiling for a fight.

I hope they have their fight and that they both lose.