Reform UK now has a councillor on North Somerset Council after independent member Stuart Davies joined the right-wing political party.

Mr Davies was elected as an independent councillor in 2023 but sat as part of the Liberal Democrats and Independents group on the council in a “coalition-style” arrangement.

He was “removed for political differences” last month.

In a video posted on his X account, he said: “I’ve been an independent councillor for nearly two years and I’ve just joined Reform UK. So please give me a follow if that’s of interest and let’s get into some discussion and debates on various issues.”

Mr Davies represents the ward of Wick St Lawrence and St Georges, on the edge of Weston-super-Mare, on North Somerset Council. Prior to being removed from the Liberal Democrats and Independents group, he chaired the council’s licensing committee.

His removal from the group came after he shared pictures of himself at Donald Trump’s inauguration on social media, along with support for his mass deportation programme, posts about conspiracy theories about chem-trails and vaccines, and a post urging people to watch a documentary containing false claims about a Syrian refugee by Tommy Robinson.

Mr Davies said at the time: “I have always been impartial, professional and committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and this is evident in my important positions on the council. I am by nature a critical thinker ensuring accuracy in my work. I am not a Tommy Robinson supporter and never have been although I have an interest in such news.”

Reform UK was founded in 2018 as the Brexit Party, and was renamed in 2021. The party did not stand in the 2023 local elections in North Somerset but came third in Weston-super-Mare in the 2024 general election with 18 per cent of the vote.