Nigel Farage blasts Essex Tories for attempting to cancel elections in campaign visit
Elections / Sat 18th Apr 2026 at 10:54am
YESTERDAY, [Friday 17 April], Reform UK leader Nigel Farage visited Waltham Abbey, Harlow and Great Dunmow ahead of local elections taking place across Essex in May.
The Reform leader went on walkabouts in Sun Street in Waltham Abbey, The Water Gardens shopping centre in Harlow, and White Street in Great Dunmow, visiting various local businesses and speaking to voters ahead of the May 7 elections.
Speaking to the media, Mr Farage highlighted that the Conservative administration of Essex County Council had “plotted” with the Labour government to cancel elections for the second year in a row, with internal memos which appeared to show council leader Kevin Bentley asking for a delay.
Speaking after his visit, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said:
“What we heard on the streets time and time again is that the Conservatives have been an absolute disaster for Essex. After 26 years in charge, they’ve lumbered the council with nearly half a billion pounds of debt and blown hundreds of millions of taxpayers’ cash on pointless, virtue-signalling Net Zero fantasies.
“It’s no wonder that they were so desperate to run away from this catastrophic record by trying to cancel elections for the second year running. These actions have more in common with a banana republic dictatorship than a modern democracy.
“Thankfully, Reform UK took the government to court and won the vote back for residents across Essex. Now, Essex voters can have their say on this weak, spineless administration and use their vote to kick them out once and for all.”
Trudie
2026-04-18 10:58:28
Forget Essex. Dan Swords and his team are the best for Harlow by a country mile.
AB
2026-04-18 12:20:09
Reform are wrecker, they are friends only to their billionaire backers.
David Forman
2026-04-18 13:12:04
Did Farage have any comment on Reform's acceptance of another Bitcoin billionaire's donation,this time of £4million. I'm confused because Farage assured me Reform was not like the other establishment political parties that accept large donations from billionaires? See https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/apr/08/british-crypto-billionaire-ben-delo-says-he-has-given-4m-to-reform-uk
David Forman
2026-04-18 13:19:04
Do you think the many cryptocurrency donations in the millions from Christopher Harborne and Ben Delo has something to do with Farage promoting cryptocurrency. His latest money making whizz is with Kwasi Kwarteng, the former Conservative Chancellor who crashed the economy. You know, I keep reading about failed Conservative Ministers and the Reform Party. Is Reform a convalescent home for washed up Conservatives? See https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/apr/15/how-a-2m-bitcoin-order-made-nigel-farage-the-political-face-of-uk-crypto
Val
2026-04-18 15:43:10
Showman Farage can say what he likes, but the election is about Harlow....Harlow and who is best to run our town. Their local leader local leader for Reform has basically admitted he doesn't know anything about local government and has no fresh plans or ideas. In fact his party fully supported the local Conservatives budget and voted for it in February. So they add no value whatsoever. Don't even know why they are standing if they stand for nothing locally.
The Observer
2026-04-18 16:08:44
I think the Reform flasher was there, the one who sent unsolicited pictures of his private parts to a female colleague. I am not sure if the Harlow Reform candidate who was allegedly fired for using his council laptop to watch porn was present. A highly credible and reputable body of candidates indeed! 🤣🤣
Alex
2026-04-18 16:33:14
These are perhaps the most important local elections ever in Harlow. Never has so much been at stake regarding regeneration and improvement. We cannot afford to jeopardise everything that has been done and remains to be done. Angry and frustrated as we might be with the national picture, this is strictly local and the fate of our town hangs in the balance. We have to give Dan Swords and his local Conservative team the support they deserve to finish the job. This is not about politics; it is about what is best for Harlow.
Pauline
2026-04-18 16:46:06
Alex is 100% right. Dan is the man! No other choices.
Mr George
2026-04-18 18:16:44
Farage moaning about election and yet he's destroyed so much of the UK and now wants to get rid of the NHS. Funny what outrages him.
Paul
2026-04-18 18:44:18
Scott Hegley the leader of Reform in Harlow doesn't give a damn about Harlow. Why should he? He doesn't even live here. He has shown that he has no plans or understanding of Harlow and seems to be driven solely by a personal ambition to replace the useless Chris Vince as our MP. He sees Harlow as nothing more than a stepping stone for his career. Don't be tricked by this con man.
Roz
2026-04-18 20:35:24
The publicity stunt by Harlow Reform in bringing Nigel Farage here for a 30 minute walkabout is nothing more than a ruse. Nigel Farage, just like any, national party leader is not involved in local government and has no understanding of local issues. He is focused on the national as are the others. However, Harlow Reform have used this show as a smokescreen to distract from the fact they have no clear plan for Harlow, and as the comments of their local leader Scott Hegley reveal, no understanding, experience or skills to do what is required. We have a proven local champion in Dan Swords and that is what this election is about. Stick with what counts and what works. Dan the Alan and his local Conservative team. They are doing the job.
ScottH
2026-04-18 21:00:16
Hi Paul - how mistaken you are on every count. I harbour no such ambitions, but can reveal that Cllr Swords does and stated as much on 12th March in The Times; I quote: "I want to be the first ever MP to have started as the apprentice of an MP." So I ask you Paul, who is really using Harlow as a "stepping stone"?
ScottH
2026-04-18 21:22:02
Hi Paul - how mistaken you are on every count. I harbour no such ambitions, but can reveal that Cllr Swords does and stated as much on 12th March 2019 in The Times; I quote: "I want to be the first ever MP to have started as the apprentice of an MP." So I ask you Paul, who is really using Harlow as a "stepping stone"?
Laura
2026-04-18 21:44:01
Scott why don't you just answer Yvonne's questions regarding your plans for Harlow? Forget Dan Swords. You are u der the spotlight, not him. However, given the fact you have not honoured your word, you are the one in the dock. Are you going to answer Yvonne or just try to evade the issue? Not looking good for you, Scott. People aren't so stupid.
Gary Abbots
2026-04-18 21:52:37
What ambitions do you have, Scott?
Graham
2026-04-18 21:52:42
The difference between you and Dan Swords is that he has delivered whereas you are a bullshitter who doesn't honour his word and has no specific policies. In football terms, you comparing yourself with Dan Swords is like comparing Accrington Stanley v Real Madrid! You are way out of your league.
Ian
2026-04-18 22:02:53
Scott Hegley is all at sea. I say that with genuine compassion. I feel sorry for the local Reform leader who is showing himself to be falling well below the standards required. He and his people are not up to the task of running Harlow and bring nothing to the table.
Paul
2026-04-19 08:05:04
Scott Hegley, local Reform leader has ambitions beyond his capabilities. He has shown by his various posts that he does not understand how local government works and has no policies for Harlow.
No thanks
2026-04-19 09:33:35
As someone who dislikes Farage to put it in less strong terms, postponing / cancelling elections is a hard limit for me. The desperate cheerleaders of DS in these comments are wasting their time.
Nicholas Taylor
2026-04-19 10:37:11
I think that many of the comments made to this article and similar ones are looking through rose tinted glasses. Just to remind readers, Cllr Swords became a councillor just five years ago with no experience of working in local government, indeed little experience of any work, but not only soon became a portfolio holder but then Leader of the Council. He has had the benefit of seeing tens of millions of pound being given to the council, much of it having been sought by the previous Labour administration, and has also increased the councils (our) debt.Trying to dissassociate his party in Harlow from the national party cannot disguise the fact that for 14 years the NHS was run down, police numbers were slashed, school budgets were slashed and hundreds of Surestart Centres were closed. And we now see that our armed services cannot even get a ship out of port. He has cried crocodile tears about the reorganisation of Local Government whilst his Party Leader at ECC has championed such changes. And he has done nothing to create a Town Council in Harlow, as exist across the rest of Essex. I am no supporter of Reform of course but at least they object to the proposals for change. If they sweep the elections across Essex in May, just maybe Harlow will not loose the independence it has enjoyed for decades.
Val
2026-04-19 12:31:44
Who cancelled the elections was the Labour government! Get the facts right.
Laura
2026-04-19 12:37:23
Nicholas Taylor, nobody has done so much for Harlow then Dan Swords and his administration. They were not voted the 2nd most improved council in England by the independent LGA for nothing. The evidence is tangible and visible.
Nicholas Taylor
2026-04-19 18:18:51
Val, you need to get the facts right. It was the Conservative administration in Harlow that asked the Government to cancel the election in May, because they said they were to busy dealing with Local Government Reorganisation. The following week they announced they would be holding a Town Show. Clearly elections were not a high priority! Laura,, try asking the thousands of housing applicants taken off the council's Housing Register what they think of Cllr Swords. Spending £7 million on repaving Broadwalk and Market Square (again), building unaffordable flats on Post Office car park, ignoring planning advice, failure to consult residents about Local Government Reorganisation, building in the Town Park, the list goes on and on. In five years time do you really think that the so called regeneration of Harlow will improve the lot of most of us who already live here. I don't.
Val
2026-04-19 20:19:41
Nicholas Taylor, asking and cancelling are distinct. Legally only the Secretary of State, i.e. Government can cancel elections not Dan Swords or the council. Who cancelled the elections was the Secretary of State - Fact. Secondly, we had had all-out elections only in 2024 and in the majority of UK districts the Councillors would be I.office for 4 years so nobody will have been in office for more than 2 years. It is hardly a crisis of democracy as you and Reform are trying to portray. Quite pathetic to be honest.
Rosalind
2026-04-19 20:58:35
Bottom line is that we are where we are. We have local elections in May to decide who is best placed and best qualified to run Harlow. As far as I am concerned as somebody who voted Labour in the past, it is a one horse race...Dan Swords and the local Conservatives.
Nicholas Taylor
2026-04-20 06:59:06
Well Val, If the Conservatives had not asked, they would not have been cancelled. And of course it was the Labour Government who then said they must go ahead. The point of having elections last year at ECC and this year at HDC is that we could vote for candidates from Parties who do not support the change and can shape the future of the way we are governed locally. Our Conservative led Council has totally failed the people of Harlow by not setting in motion the creation of a Town Council. As things stand, in the future the number of Harlow councillors will be in a small minority in the Unitary Authority, who from my time working at Epping Forst DC will be ignored when it comes to improving the town in the long term.
Val
2026-04-20 08:23:55
Nicholas Taylor why do you want more layers of bureaucracy? The whole point of the reorganisation ( if it happens) is to streamline and reduce the current confusion between County and District. The introduction of Town Councils is nothing but a waste of money. For example, Epping Town Council is responsible for two public conveniences, very limited parking and a playing field. What value does that add? Let Dan Swords team run the show and position Harlow to be the centre of a new West Essex authority.
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