A STOURPORT Councillor who was recently the county’s highways chief has jumped ship from Reform UK to the Conservative Party.
Coun Karl Perks, who was Worcestershire’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport during the previous Reform UK administration, announced that he resigned from Reform because he felt it was impossible to represent the party while remaining true to his own principles.
He has also praised the encouraging direction the Conservative Party has taken under Kemi Badenoch’s leadership, but his former Reform Worcestershire colleagues were less kind and felt Coun Perks had ruined his political career by joining the Tories.
Reform UK have lost six seats on Worcestershire County Council since the May 2025 elections through members leaving the party, most notably former leader Coun Jo Monk.
In a statement, Coun Perks, who represents Areley Kings and Riverside on the county council, said: “I joined Reform in 2024 because I believed in what I thought it stood for: pride in our country, restoring law and order, holding politicians to account and doing politics differently.
“The problem is that I have increasingly come to believe that Reform does not reflect those principles.
“During the ‘Raise the Colours’ campaign, I supported the display of both the Union Flag and the Cross of St George.
“What I could not support was criminal damage to public property.
“As the Cabinet Member responsible for our highways, I condemned the painting of roundabouts, road signs and other public assets and stated that, where offences had been committed, prosecution should be considered.
“I found myself criticised, abused and isolated by the Reform Party.
“That experience left me asking a simple question.
“If we believe in law and order, surely that must apply to everyone, whether we agree with their cause or not.”
Coun Perks claimed that within Reform UK, standards appeared inconsistent, legitimate questions were too often viewed as disloyalty and personalities increasingly seemed to matter more than principles.
He added: “This decision is an accumulation of many experiences that have led me to conclude that I can no longer honestly represent Reform UK while remaining true to my own principles.”
Worcestershire Reform leader Coun Alan Amos, speaking on behalf of his party, said: “I genuinely do not know why Karl has taken this huge step backwards to join the failed Conservative Party and ruin his political career.
“He has not told me the real reasons, and he seems very confused.
“Nonetheless, this is politics, and I personally wish him well.”
