A Reform UK councillor has hit back after his party was labelled ‘incompetent’ by the leader of the Isle of Wight Conservatives.
Councillor Reuben Loake raised the question of what vetting took place in the appointment of Councillor Ed Blake as a Conservative election candidate in 2023, around 6 years after the latter admitted a public order offence.
Blake received a conditional discharge and costs in 2017 after the matter went to court.
Cllr Blake, who currently leads County Hall’s Conservative group, previously criticised Reform after it emerged the party’s local government boss, Ben Bradley, sent a dossier of internal policy and guidance to independent and Conservative Isle of Wight councillors by accident.
Cllr Blake told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) he is concerned that such a simple blunder of not knowing who the Reform councillors are from their national control shows “just how incompetent the party is”.
He said:
“As a Conservative representative, my competence is assessed before being allowed to stand as a candidate; this allows me to exercise freewill as the party is confident in my abilities to act properly in the interest of fellow residents.”
Cllr Blake said the documents sent by Mr Bradley show Reform’s internal awareness of a ‘lack of confidence’ in their representatives.
In an email to the LDRS this week, Cllr Loake said:
“What measures were taken and in particular what vetting took place in appointing Cllr Blake as a Conservative candidate for county council elections in 2023 when six years earlier he was charged and prosecuted for a public order offence?”
In March 2017, Cllr Blake admitted public order offences when he appeared before Isle of Wight magistrates.
The court was told that on 1st September, 2016, 2 Marine Management Organisation officers visited Ventnor Haven Fishery to help the business owners with their difficulties in entering catch data.
It was reported that Blake became agitated, swore and unleashed a tirade of verbal abuse and threats. He barged past one of the officers making shoulder contact as he left the fishery.
The court was told Blake had been under considerable stress at the time of his ‘out of character’ actions.
He was handed a conditional discharge with costs of £85 and a £20 surcharge.
Cllr Blake told the LDRS on Friday:
“This is already in the public domain and happened when I was 23. I apologised for it at the time and have disclosed it at every stage.”
