Reform UK Expels Hartlepool Councillor Weeks After Labour Defection...

Aaron Roy Hartlepool has reportedly been expelled from the Reform UK Party weeks after he defected from Labour

Reform UK Sacks Hartlepool Defector Over St George’s Cross Comments...

1st May 2026

A Former Hartlepool Labour councillor who only recently defected to Reform UK has now reportedly been expelled from his new party following a row over comments reportedly made online about the St George’s Cross.

Cllr Aaron Roy, who left Labour last month to join Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, has been removed from the party after its claimed leaked WhatsApp messages were reported to a national newspaper.

According to the report, the messages related to a debate over flags being flown in Hartlepool, with Cllr Roy said to have described the England flag as a “crusade” symbol and raised concerns about how different flags are perceived by different communities.

The row comes only weeks after Cllr Roy’s high-profile switch from Labour to Reform, a move which attracted attention both locally and nationally. His defection was seen as another blow to Labour in Hartlepool, a town where Reform UK has been attempting to build momentum ahead of the local elections.

However, Reform UK has now reportedly acted swiftly to distance itself from the councillor. The party’s decision to expel him appears to have been triggered by the leaked exchange, which centred on the use of national flags and the St George’s Cross.

Cllr Roy is said to have defended his remarks, saying he was not attacking the St George’s Cross itself but raising questions about perception, inclusivity and consistency when it comes to flags being displayed. He is also reported to have said he was proud of both England and Hartlepool.

The issue is likely to prove politically damaging in Hartlepool, where debates around national identity, patriotism and party loyalty have become increasingly heated. Reform UK has made flag flying and national pride a major part of its political messaging, meaning the comments were always likely to cause serious concern within the party.

The controversy also raises fresh questions over political defections in the town. Cllr Roy was elected under the Labour political banner, yet moved to Reform UK just weeks ago, and has now been expelled from that party, leaving voters in his ward facing yet another twist in Hartlepool’s increasingly unpredictable political landscape.

For Labour, the episode may be seen as an embarrassing but useful development, after losing a councillor to one of its main political rivals. For Reform UK, it's an unwanted distraction at a time when the party is trying to present itself as a serious alternative in towns like Hartlepool and comes just barely a week before locals are set to go to the polls.

Cllr Roy’s expulsion means his short-lived spell as a Reform UK councillor appears to have ended almost as quickly as it began. The key question now is whether he will sit as an independent, seek to join another political group, or face calls from opponents to resign and trigger a by-election for his council seat.