Red, fight and blue: An evening with Reform in a Labour stronghold

Nigel Derry relaxes with a pint of bitter, his paper spread on the table in front of him - and surrounded by a sea of Reform UK turquoise.

I bump into him at a social club on the outskirts of Barnsley - Dodworth (Dod-uth if you're local) to be precise.

The club seems to have been privately booked by Reform and the evening will feature a speech from an arguably more prominent Nigel.

Our 72-year-old Nigel, who is 10 years older than his namesake, is bemused when I ask him if he is voting Reform for the first time.

It turns out the club is a regular watering hole and he had just popped in for a pint, unaware of the political hullaboo unfolding around him.

The red bricks of this building could be said to have reflected the area's politics for decades. Barnsley was a keystone in the former 'Red Wall' of constituencies and towns once thought to belong permanently to Labour.

Reform believe they have a chance to topple Labour's dominance in this former mining stronghold. In 2024's general election, the party polled 11,651 votes in Barnsley North - about 5,000 votes fewer than winning Labour MP Stephanie Peacock.

Nigel explains: "I was Labour until Jeremy Corbyn. When he appeared on the scene, I couldn't vote for him. I didn't like his policies so I switched to the Conservatives.

"I don't know who I'm voting for now. Really I'm not that political minded to be honest. I'm undecided. I wouldn't like to say one party or the other because as yet I don't know that much about them.

"I might have a listen and see what Reform says but I haven't made my mind up on anything yet."

The club has a couple of snooker tables and the walls are adorned with photos of former world champions who scooped the title just down the nearby M1 in Sheffield.

A large picture of a green baize maverick Alex 'Hurricane' Higgins playing at the Crucible looks over people as they tuck around the small bar tables drinking pints.

Shaun French, clad in a Union flag motif shirt, is there for the Reform event. The 50-year-old mentions he's unhappy at "boat people" coming into the country. He is also not best pleased with the "state of the roads".

"I've never voted in the past but now I'm a Reform member because of the state of the country. I'm unhappy with everything and all the other parties," he says.

I approach several women for an interview but all politely decline, apart from one who happens to be a candidate.

This is obviously a captive audience of Reform supporters but a quick straw poll by colleagues at Look North of people in Barnsley town centre found a mix of opinions, including those sticking with Labour as well as those who are not sure who they will tick a box for on 7 May.

A Reform press officer tells me Nigel Farage is arriving and I am scooted to the back yard of the club. The party leader and MP's arrival is low-key and he jokes about the rough and ready backdrop for photos with a car park and brick wall.

His pale blue trousers are a nod to the unofficial dress code.

We squeeze on to a tiny garden seat under a blue spring evening sky for a brief chat about Reform's policies before going back inside.

There, media and supporters are taken into the back room where the dance floor has been converted into a stage featuring a black and yellow Reform branding and lectern.

Eighties music plays on a speaker as we wait on velvet pub chairs.

Farage is cheered throughout this speech but this is still Barnsley and the audience treat him in the same way as a club turn, shouting out comments and catcalling when he makes a slight slip-up.

He is on safe ground here surrounded by supporters and candidates though.

Afterwards, back in the bar, Jamie Jowett, 71, says he always voted Labour until about 10 years ago.

He says: "Labour wasn't going in the direction it used to, it seemed to stop looking after the workers. I've voted different ways since then but now Reform has come along, things are looking up aren't they?"

Barnsley Council has been Labour for the last 50 years and council leader Sir Stephen Houghton has been at the helm for 30 of those.

He says a visit from Farage was expected as the Reform leader had been touring former industrial spots looking to change the politics.

"What he's found in Barnsley is the town has been regenerated and is on the up and we are moving forward.

"Labour is not complacent and is working very hard, but a Reform council would set this town back 20 years and I don't believe that's what the people of Barnsley want," he adds.

The Liberal Democrats have a healthy opposition on the council. Their leader in the borough Hannah Kitching says: "Many residents want local, hard-working councillors who are focused on improving their communities, not distracted by national issues. Reform's politics are driven by division and distrust."

The Greens hope to pick up some seats and told me that Reform "thrives on stoking social division".

A spokesperson added: "Their policies are designed to play on the fear of the electorate and confuse national policy with what can be done at a local level."

The Conservatives were approached for comment.

Back in the bar, I ask Reform supporter Jamie what one thing he would want the party to do if they took control of the town hall.

It really is a grassroot issue for him.

"I walk my dog in the morning and at night and I want them to cut the grass. It's a mess, there's weeds everywhere," he says.

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