Reform leader says he’s still in charge despite claims

Oldham Reform’s boss says claims he is no longer in the post are ‘just gossip and hearsay’. This comes two days after other party leaders were reportedly told Councillor Lewis Quigg was being replaced.

Multiple town hall sources have told the LDRS Oldham council’s Reform UK group is looking to elect a new leader in the borough. However, Coun Quigg has denied the claims, initially telling the LDRS he would not ‘confirm nor deny silly allegations’.

He later said the claims are ‘just nonsense really’ and ‘just gossip and hearsay’. When asked to confirm whether he was still leader on September 9, Coun Quigg said: “Clearly.”

Coun Quigg has led the borough’s 16-strong group of councillors since he joined Reform in September 2025 and Reform are now second behind Labour in terms of numbers. He has consistently argued his party has the mandate to run the local authority based on strong election results but failed to convince a majority of councillors to support him.

This week, town hall sources have told the LDRS Coun Quigg’s deputy Mark Wilkinson has taken over on an interim basis while a new leader is selected over the coming weeks. Multiple sources said a group of party leaders were told about the situation on September 7 and Coun Wilkinson was interim until further notice.

The potential change comes at a key time for Oldham council as officers have asked the UK government to intervene over an ongoing stalemate over who should lead the borough. Whether a possible change in leadership would shift support among the borough’s 44 non-Reform councillors is impossible to tell.

Reform is the second largest group in the local authority with 16 councillors after major gains in the 2026 local elections. The party won 13 of the 20 seats contested and saw their vote share surge by 36.1%.

Nigel Farage’s party gained its first councillors in Oldham when Sandra Ball, Coun Quigg, and Coun Wilkinson joined in September 2025. Couns Ball and Wilkinson had previously been independents while Coun Quigg was a Conservative.

Coun Quigg was first elected as a councillor for Royton North in 2023. He has campaigned on causes such as an independent inquiry into child sexual exploitation in the borough as well as greenbelt housebuilding plans.

Following the local elections, Coun Quigg’s pitch to become leader of the council was the first to go to a vote. However this was decisively lost.
Following the meeting on June 15, Coun Quigg said other parties had ‘created a roadblock to moving the borough forward, adding: “Residents deserve a council that is effective, accountable and capable of making decisions. Reform UK stands ready to provide that leadership and urges others to do the same.”

There have since been further meetings, none of which have managed to break through a political deadlock. This is because no political party represents more than a third of councillors in the chamber and divisions have prevented a majority of councillors uniting behind one pitch.

The situation has now got to the point officers believe the local authority is breaking the law. After another meeting failed to make any progress, officers have now written to the government to look at intervening and prevent the council from acting unlawfully.

Reform have been approached for comment.