'Sexism and swearing forced me to quit Reform'
BBCA councillor who left Reform UK to join the Conservatives this week said she faced issues within the local branch of her former party, including "shouting, verbal abuse and swearing", as well as sexism.
Charlotte Kelly was one of the 49 councillors elected when Reform took control of Staffordshire County Council in May 2025.
The 31-year-old, who was previously Conservative member before her election, said rejoining the Tories was based on a "period of reflection" about her future.
A spokesperson for Reform said Kelly had been a source of ongoing disharmony within the group.
"It comes as no surprise that councillor Kelly has left Reform UK," they said, adding that she was currently subject to a formal complaint.
Kelly said she had not been made aware of any complaint made about her, and noted this would be a breach of the party's policy, which stated people who were the subject of complaints should be notified.
She told BBC News she had followed Reform's process for raising concerns but found she was "shut down" by members of the party.
"The answer shouldn't be 'just shut up and deal with it'," she added.
"I've been sworn at, yelled at and I've had a phone call slammed shut on me – and this was for me pointing out policy and procedure."
She said she had not seen them talking to men in the same way.
One party member told her, "I'm not going to listen to a girl 20 years younger than me," she said.
She was also taken shopping for new clothes because she "didn't dress the way they wanted me to dress", adding that this was also something she had not seen happen to male party members.
Kelly said she had made friends in Reform, and that she had received messages of support and understanding since her announcement.
She declined to speculate over whether or not any others were considering defecting or leaving the party.
Kelly added her initial move to Reform came about as the party reflected her values at the time.
"It was this entire wave of hope, and 'we are the answer, we have the answer to all your worries and we're going to make that happen', and then you realise they might not and they don't, and that's really sad," she said.
Kemi Badenoch's leadership had returned the Tories to "traditional values" she said, and this was part of the appeal around rejoining the party.
She added that she still wanted Reform to succeed in the local authorities they were now in charge of.
"It's not fair to want a party to fail when they're in charge of so many people's lives," she said.
An upated Reform UK response said it was satisfied issues surrounding Kelly, as well as official complaints levelled against her, were being handled correctly and added it was a shame she had decided to leave before the process had concluded.
The group had no recollection of her being shouted at or being told what to wear, a statement said.
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