The Reform candidate who wants to be first Essex mayor
News / Sat 6th Sep 2025 at 11:48pm
A FORMER Brentwood councillor turned Talk TV host has set out his ambitions to return to politics as both the first Reform UK member on the borough council and the first Essex mayor reports the Local Democracy Reporter.
Russell Quirk has decided to stand as the Reform UK candidate for the upcoming Hutton South by-election. The position was left vacant following the sad death of Councillor Mark Reed, who died in July and had held the seat since 2009.
Originally a Conservative councillor, Mr Quirk left the Tories to join the Brentwood First party and, in 2014, helped oust his former party’s administration from control of the council.
The 57-year-old, who last represented Brentwood Borough Council in 2015, still cites his successful attempt to prevent the administration at the time from selling its town hall headquarters for redevelopment as one of his major accomplishments while a councillor.
He said: “I’m still the same Conservative I’ve always been. I left the Conservative Party in 2014 when I resigned the whip at Brentwood Council, along with several others, because locally and nationally, the Conservative Party left us. I didn’t leave it, it left us.”
He left politics to focus on his property businesses and has recently forged a career in TV and radio.
He now says he wants to return to the chamber to represent the people of Hutton South and be given the opportunity to become the mayor of Essex as a Reform UK candidate when elections are held in May 2026. He has been a Reform UK party member for the past two years.
He said: “Whoever is selected has to have political, business, and media experience. Guess who I think that is. I have a unique and broad experience that covers business, politics and media.”
So far, Thomas Bridge of the Conservatives has also said he will stand in the Hutton South by-election scheduled in October, while Louise McKinlay, also of the Conservatives, has been selected for the Essex mayoral election planned for May next year.
More candidates are expected to be announced for both elections in due course.
William Warner
2025-09-07 00:50:34
It all rubbish about reform they just in it for the money get lost
Lucy
2025-09-07 05:34:37
I saw their conference yesterday. It was like some slightly sinister, camp, strictly come dancing parody - An Ex Tory MP (who lost her seat) singing “I’m an insomniac” in a spangly dress. A headliner was an "Eminent Doctor” saying something to the effect that the Covid vaccine gave the King cancer - It was an absolute freakshow. - All of them are showboaters.
David Forman
2025-09-07 06:39:06
That's annoying! The first two commentators have stolen my thunder. Well said William and Lucy.
David Forman
2025-09-07 06:50:48
The Times newspaper said on Saturday reported Reform's "vagueness on financial commitments, with the deputy leader Richard Tice remarking on the morning of the conference that the party may have to rethink its headline manifesto pledge to deliver £90 billion of tax cuts." Another piece of showboating being rowed back on. See Times article at https://www.thetimes.com/comment/the-times-view/article/reform-nigel-farage-government-0jr0q5q50
Mike Hunt
2025-09-07 08:04:23
Tory Party 2.0
Seamus
2025-09-07 10:43:37
"The Times newspaper said on Saturday reported Reform's "vagueness on financial commitments" I feel some who voted Labour seem to be suffering from a memory lapse. All during last years 2024 general election, Labour would say "We know the problems, we have a plan and it's all costed" and yet whenever asked, they wouldn't tell you anything. So for reform not to have exact everything plan for an election just under 4 years away shouldn't be a suprise should it?. "It all rubbish about reform they just in it for the money get lost" Have they got Lord Waheed Alli's phone number already? Sweet, they'll get free Arsenal and Tottenham game tickets then, even Taylor Swift one's too. That's before you even mention the clothing allowance. Maybe they might even be able to bail out a company making windfarm blades on the isle of wight (Vestas) by the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, who forgot to mention that on the Vestas board and as a director of that company, is the wife of the U.K.'s Minister of State for care. Reform have a long way to go to do the damage Labour and the Conservatives have done. grrr reform, grrrr froth froth
Mike Hunt
2025-09-07 15:24:45
I sometimes worry about where this country is heading but then I read comments by people like Seamus and realise we are already there.
Ted
2025-09-07 17:35:20
I don’t want Seamus to go all Godwin's Law on me, but have you noticed how Farage has started some weird hand waving/shaking thing when he talks - Just like Hitler did - I think Farage was in Europe too long to be a true Brit - Wouldn’t trust him an inch - I’m sure he’s on their side
peter linden
2025-09-07 19:38:18
Farage is a dangerous, no good, grifter, in the same bed as Tommy Robinson, he has already said how he respects putin and thinks how impressive he is, He is a sycophant of Trump.we see how america is fading I. So many area's farage would lead us down the same path. His brexit continues to cost us billions every month.. cheers Nigel , you proper melt
Mr George
2025-09-07 19:53:09
Seamus, you are in for a very rude shock when Reform get into power. A very nasty one - these people are not politicians, they are grifters with no idea how to help the country. Look at the track record of those reform councillors who have already quit or been removed because of spouting racist conspiracy theories or the subject of police probes/prosecutions. 14 or 15 people so far? These are people elected in good faith! One person said she'd put a statue of Tommy Robinson in every town, goodness me. And of course there are those who have not attended a single meeting to do with their constituents but still pocketed a couple thousand pounds of our money in expenses.. These people are chancers, they literally have no intention or idea how to do the job let alone do it any better than Tories or Labour.
Seamus
2025-09-07 22:46:28
"I don’t want Seamus to go all Godwin's Law on me, but have you noticed how Farage has started some weird hand waving/shaking thing when he talks - Just like Hitler did". You were so close, Ted so close. You and your Godwins law. "in the same bed as Tommy Robinson" Wait what? What constituency was Tommy Robinson democratically elected to? Why wasn't I told?. "these people are not politicians, they are grifters with no idea how to help the country" Being serious for a moment, how do you feel professional politicians have done over the last 28 years? "These are people elected in good faith!" Like Farage and other Reform mp's, councillors etc, that kind of good faith or is there another one? Is Farage and Reform the answer? I don't know but when it comes to Labour or the Conservatives I offer the quote often attributed to Einstien, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result."
Mr George
2025-09-07 23:10:42
To be fair, I had a little trouble with your ramblings! But I think you included what I wrote so yes - elected in good faith to do right by their own constituents is correct. I expect them to go to meetings, to look after the people who voted them in, but then their leader Farage doesn't do his share does he? He doesn't do much for Clacton and only just bought a place to live in Clacton - well, his girlfriend did so he could avoid tax (probably). Boring constituents, meetings and general MP work - that is the job, no? That is what we voted them in for? I don't have issue with you complaining about the parties in the past, I have issue you think that Reform will be any better. I predict they will not, exact opposite in fact.
Seamus
2025-09-08 16:58:56
"That is what we voted them in for?" I never knew you voted in the Clacton election to select Farrage as your mp? You dark horse sir, you kept that quiet. "I have issue you think that Reform will be any better. I predict they will not, exact opposite in fact." Tell me sir, did you vote Labour in the last election and if so, did you predict they would be better? I don't think I've said I have voted or intend to vote reform or they will be better. I have said, "how do you feel professional politicians have done over the last 28 years? " I asked as based on performance alone, neither Conservative or Labour deserve another crack of the whip for many years to come. Lib dems haven't been trusted to run a government since 1908 and the greens were created in 1972 but have never ever had more than 4 mp's. Using an American actors reference to the choices of our political parties, there be Slim Pickens. Sad but true.
Mr George
2025-09-08 19:46:41
Seamus, be so useful if you didn't try to twist words and meanings when you know exactly what is meant. Thankyou. For sure, slim pickings but I will never vote for a party who ruined this country over the last 14 years. You say longer? Perhaps, but the NHS, schools and generally things we needed were ok under Labour in Brown years, once they cleaned up the mess tories left last time. I can't vote tory who's only blurb now seems to be to blame immigration for all the things wrong in the UK when actually, they were in charge of it all, our NHS, schools AND immigration.. Reform - I cannot vote for the other party who's main policy is anti-immigrant, who's other ideas are not costed, based on reality or even possible and they do not explain themselves. Full of people with their shared ideals based on hatred and divide rather than actually do good for this country. Perhaps the UK does need a new party, full of fresh ideas and real talent who really want to change things for the better. Reform are not those people.
ScottH
2025-09-08 22:55:51
Its a sign of how beaten down and hopeless people have become when, as we see above, they decry all attempts to give voters an exciting new option, preferring the terrible old devil-they-know parties. Yes, please give us yet more corruption, more failure, empty promises, even higher taxes...such things are all patches on the comfort blanket of vote blue, red or yellow...you might even call it a form of Stockholm Syndrome I suppose. Fact is that change is coming, as demonstrated in the Reform Conference, which was eclectic, upbeat and full of energy. Even the BBC remarked they had never seen anything like it before for its optimism; the kind of optimism in politics and in our country's potential that those above could really do with a dose of.
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