Reform UK Councillors Told to Speak Only to GB News' as Party Shuns Local Press

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The editor of an independent local news outlet, which has been shunned by Reform UK, says Nigel Farage’s party is borrowing ‘straight [from] the Trump playbook’ in its approach to the press.

Oliver Rouane-Williams, the founder and editor of Ipswich.co.uk, an independent local title in Suffolk, is warning of US-style attacks on independent journalism by Nigel Farage’s party, after the Reform chairman in his patch reportedly ordered Ipswich candidates not to engage with reporters – directing them towards GB News instead.

Media freedom groups are worried it is part of a trend. Last week, Clacton MP Farage published the name and photograph of a photographer who had been undertaking his duties in a public place near the Reform leader’s home, in a move condemned by his employers at The Guardian.

Rouane-Williams told Byline Times that his publication has no working relationship with Reform UK locally following an edict from the Ipswich party chairman.

The local news chief said his outlet had attempted to engage Reform candidates ahead of the elections through a standard ‘meet the candidate’ format, putting the same five questions to every candidate of every party, but received nothing back from Reform.

The publication subsequently faced pushback from Reform voters who felt the coverage was biased – forcing Rouane-Williams to explain the absence of Reform voices was not down to editorial bias but to the party’s refusal to engage.

The Ipswich.co.uk founder says he then learnt that Shayne Pooley, the chairman of Reform in Ipswich, had instructed all of the party’s candidates in the town not to engage with the media, and had specifically told them not to answer questions from Ipswich.co.uk.

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“That was a shame, because a lot of the candidates actually wanted to engage. We had three candidates that said they wanted to engage but were under instruction not to do so,” Rouane-Williams told this outlet.

Reform’s Shayne Pooley is not an elected councillor and operates in a town without a Reform majority. He has been contacted for comment.

Reform UK won ten out of 16 seats up for grabs on Ipswich Borough Council earlier this month. It retains a Labour majority, since only a third of seats were up for election, but Reform’s influence has grown markedly in the area.

The county-level Suffolk County Council had been Conservative-controlled for nearly two decades but 41 Reform councillors swept the authority, winning 41 out of 70 seats.

Rouane-Williams said the same instruction not to engage extended beyond his title. “We were obviously at the Town Hall on the count days, and again, all Reform candidates and newly elected councillors were instructed by Shayne Pooley not to engage with the media.

“It wasn’t just us — it was the BBC as well. After the count, I spoke to a few of the Reform figures and said, ‘look, it’s a real shame if you choose not to engage’.

“A couple of them at that point said they’d only be speaking to GB News and wouldn’t be speaking to any other media right now.”

Rouane-Williams says one Reform councillor says they were specifically instructed to only speak to GB News.

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Reform is attempting to paint Ipswich.co.uk as a “left-wing mainstream publication” – a characterisation he strongly rejects, saying the outlet had always been proudly independent and non-partisan.

Asked how the smears were being disseminated, he pointed again to Pooley, who he said now appeared to have a personal vendetta against the publication.

In an apparent sign of this, Pooley changed his Facebook banner image to the one used in a critical Ipswich.co.uk story about his statement urging residents to discuss concerns directly with the party rather than via the media.

And while he ignored Ipswich.co.uk‘s request for a meeting, he wrote on their Facebook page: “Voters can contact their councillors directly, no need to offer you a sound bite, we are not a paycheck for you, neither we or the voters need you.”

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‘Not an Isolated Incident’

Speaking on Thursday (14 May), the editor said he remained “quietly hopeful” that Suffolk could avoid the scenario seen in Nottingham, where a Reform-controlled county council banned local media outlets before national outrage triggered a u-turn.

Asked about the alleged order to only speak to GB News, Rouane-Williams said that while it is no surprise Reform would favour a friendly broadcaster (often dubbed ‘Reform TV’ by critics), this was “not how democracy should work in the real world”.

“GB News is not going to provide the level of fair scrutiny that an independent local media outlet will…They’re not a local publication. They’re not going to be speaking to local councillors about potholes. That’s just not how GB News are going to look at their editorial strategy.”

The Ipswich.co.uk editor is concerned that a Reform-led Suffolk County Council might adopt the same stance on local media as that of Reform members at Ipswich Borough Council. The consequences for local voters and residents would be significant, he argues.

And he is convinced that Nigel Farage views Donald Trump’s playbook as the model to follow.

Responding, Jemimah Steinfeld, CEO at Index on Censorship, told Byline Times: “Politicians as public servants have a duty to engage with media across the board – from mainstream stations to local newspapers – not just media that will be most favourable to them.

“News that Reform politicians are shunning, or worst still smearing, local media in Ipswich is really concerning. It’s made all the worse by the fact this is not an isolated incident.”

In 2025 Index on Censorship filed a Council of Europe alert after county councillors from Reform refused to engage with Nottinghamshire Live.

“While the hostile approach towards the media doesn’t appear to be universal within Reform, it should not be present at all. Journalists are not enemies. They’re public watchdogs performing a crucial democratic function,” Steinfeld said.

Felicity Garvey, UK Advocacy Officer, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) added the reports were “deeply concerning”.

“Given the actions taken by Reform UK-led Nottinghamshire County Council to limit press access last year, this may become a worrying trend. It is utterly unacceptable for public officials to pick and choose which journalists are permitted to scrutinise them or to privilege sympathetic outlets over independent reporting,” Garvey said.

She told this outlet: “Local media are part of the democratic infrastructure that keeps power in check. We call on Reform UK and all political parties to respect the vital role of the press in scrutiny and in keeping the public properly informed.”

Shayne Pooley was contacted for comment.

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