‘We’ll have control of Wigan council by 2027’: Atherton Independent councillor defects to Reform UK

A councillor who has represented the Atherton North ward as an Independent since 2019 has announced his defection to Reform UK.

Councillor Paul Watson, opposition leader on Wigan Council, made the announcement on Friday. The move follows the election of Wigan council’s first ever Reform UK councillor, Lee Moffitt, in a by-election in October.

The change was revealed during a first anniversary celebration held by Reform UK’s Wigan branch in Fitzpatricks Irish bar on 6 November.

Watson said his move was influenced by a lack of representation in the two major political parties and “corruption at a national level on almost a weekly basis”.

He cited the Labour government’s plan to scrap the Conservative Party’s Legacy Act, which provided those in the military legal immunity from prosecution, as a recent reason for his defection.

He said: “For the past six years as an Independent we’ve achieved quite a lot locally, but when it comes to making any substantial change it needs to be part of a bigger party. Moving forward to implement change, Reform is the way to go.

“My values have never changed. Even before Reform UK was a party, I had them values.”

Watson lambasted what he called the “established uni-party”, saying that voters should have more representation and choice. He said: “We’ve got to break the establishment’s grip on the illusion of democracy.

“My job now is to build on the two Reform UK councillors we’ve got, to get more elected in 2026, and hopefully gain control of Wigan council by 2027. In doing that, we can reform that council. We can cut wastage, change policies.”

However, local constituent Guy Prowse said he was “very disappointed” with the change.

“The Independent councillors here do a very good job,” he said. “A lot of the strength of independents is that they don’t have to tow a party line. I think councillor Watson has weakened that.

“Someone going from Independent to a party does strike me as opportunism. I think he senses where the wind is blowing. As soon as a general election hit last year, he started posting more overtly right wing social media content.”

Others responded positively online, including local Ray Taylor, who said: “Good luck James let’s get rid of this rotten council.”

Fellow Atherton North councillor Stuart Gerrard, who remains an Independent alongside Jamie Hodgkinson, said of the news: “We’ve known he’s been toying with the idea for a while. There’s no bad blood between us or malice, we’re still working together.”

Gerrard emphasised his own plans to remain as an Independent “for the foreseeable”, and that he believes party politics should stay out of local government.

In a statement on the announcement, Gerrard said: “I wish councillor James Paul Watson good luck in his new political adventure.”

The borough’s first Reform UK councillor, Lee Moffit, called the announcement event a “seismic night” on behalf of the party’s Wigan branch. “We have doubled our presence in the Wigan Council chamber,” he said.

“The defection of councillor Paul Watson, the former Leader of the Opposition, brings a wealth of experience!”

Oldham also gained its first set of Reform councillors in recent months. In September, the borough saw three councillors defect to the party, including Lewis Quigg, who represents Royton North, as well as Failsworth West councillors Mark Wilkinson and Sandra Ball.