New Reform leader calls for stability after racism row

The new leader of the Reform UK group that controls Staffordshire County Council, Martin Murray, has said "stability is what's best" for the county, and leadership.

He is expected to be named the new council leader at a meeting on Thursday.

It follows a tumultuous period of leadership for Reform, which saw Ian Cooper stand down under a cloud of racism allegations linked to social media activity, and then the exit of Cooper's successor Chris Large, who was subject to an inquiry into racist posts that he denied writing.

Murray said he would take action to draw a line under the racism scandal that had rocked the council.

As the third appointed leader in four months of the Reform-led administration, Murray was asked by the BBC what he would do to provide stability.

"If anybody does anything untoward, in aracist way, in a detrimental way, I will come down on them hard, I will act swiftly, correctly and severely if anybody does," he said.

Murray also explained that Chris Large, who mysteriously stepped away from Reform and became an independent councillor, had done so of his own accord due to a "reassessment of life".

The Conservative opposition on the council has called for Murray to remove the cabinet member for highways, Peter Mason, from his Cabinet, after he was asked to stay away from parish meetings over derogatory comments made on his social media before he was a councillor.

Mason has since apologised and Murray said this was "old history".

"The only reason Conservatives and Labour politicians are keeping this alive is because they have nothing else to say," he said.

"Peter Mason - let's move on and let him deliver for highways, which he is an expert at."

Politics Midlands is on BBC One in the region from 10:00 GMT on Sunday and will be available afterwards on iPlayer

Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.