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Reform's first mayor hails 'new dawn' under Farage - as she doubles down on calls to house migrants in tents
4 May 2025, 12:12 | Updated: 4 May 2025, 12:39
Lewis Goodall is joined by Reform UK's Dame Andrea Jenkyns | 04/05/25
Reform UK's first mayor has said a "new dawn" has risen on British politics under Nigel Farage after a series of local election successes this week.
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Dame Andrea, who was elected as Reform's mayor of Greater Lincolnshire this week after herself defecting from the Conservatives, told LBC's Lewis Goodall that several of her former colleagues - including an ex-Cabinet minister - had reached out about following her to Nigel Farage's party.
Dame Andrea said she would welcome former Home Secretary Suella Braverman to Reform, adding she had "good politics".
She told Lewis that she respected Ms Badenoch's rival Robert Jenrick, whom she also described as a friend - but added that Reform leader Mr Farage "is the one that people listen to".
"It's a new dawn now," Dame Andrea said. "I fully back Nigel and I genuinely believe that he's the only one who can get this country back on its feet."
Dame Andrea earlier came under fire for saying in her victory speech that she would house illegal migrants in tents, rather than in hotels.
Asked by Lewis if she thought child migrants should also be put in tents, she refused to say.
But she maintained that Britain has become a "soft touch" for migrants.
"This is taxpayers 'money and it should actually be tents - not rent...
"And British people are charitable, Lewis, but they're struggling themselves now... People are struggling. So why should the British people be putting people in hotels out of their own pocket?"
Watch Again: Lewis Goodall speaks to Tory co-chair Nigel Huddleston | 04/05/25
She added that she was confident that Boris Johnson would not return as Conservative leader - a move that could serve to undermine the Reform surge.
Nigel Huddleston, the co-chairman of the Conservatives, told Lewis that Ms Badenoch was renewing the party, but admitted he and his colleagues had not won back public trust.
Mr Farage earlier said the Conservatives would "never recover" after Reform "supplanted" them as the opposition to Labour, as it made sweeping gains in the local elections this week.
Both Ms Badenoch and Sir Keir Starmer are under pressure to reverse their parties’ fortunes after Reform picked up 10 councils and more than 600 seats in Thursday’s poll.
Mr Farage has said he wants to tackle overspending in the local authorities his party now controls.
Dame Andrea agreed, adding: "I'm hoping that we can actually root out the waste... the point of doing this is actually to keep taxes low for constituents."
She said she wanted to cut her local authority's workforce by 10% - despite council budgets already being slashed in real terms since 2010.
"We've got to have a lean, mean local government," Dame Andrea said. "That's what I personally like to see."
She added that she supports commends made by Reform deputy leader Richard Tice, who said he wants to slash net zero initiatives to reduce energy bills.
Local officials think that the green economy is worth over £1 billion in the area that Dame Andrea now represents - but she maintained that the country has to "shift the dial".
"I'm not going to bite the hand that feeds us," Dame Andrea said. "However, there's got to be ultimate scrutiny."
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She told Lewis: "I will ensure that we have a thriving economy. I'm going to ensure that we have a skills board which is industry led, where we have the skills of tomorrow, which future proofs the economy.
"I'm going to ensure that we have a transport for Lincolnshire just like they have a transport for London and ensure that we actually get Lincolnshire moving and we've got the infrastructure there so we can get good investment.
"Because it's been the poor relation for too long."
Dame Andrea also said she was "up for a fight" with the unions after the head of Unison urged council workers to sign up after Reform won control in several local authorities in Thursday's local elections.
She told LBC union reps are "rent a mobs", adding: "They're just trying to bring down any decent government or local government who's trying to save for the taxpayer.
"It should not be about them. It should be about the taxpayer. Every council employee should be scrutinised for the taxpayer."
She added: "We've got to push back on this mentality, so if they want to fight then I'm up for a fight."
