“At around 11:30pm in Brentwood Town Hall, Russell Quirk was announced as the new councillor for Hutton South, as well as the first councillor on Brentwood Borough Council for Reform, with a total of 805 votes. I would like to offer my congratulations to him and his party on this impressive achievement.

I sincerely hope that in his term he will work to restore the trust that voters in this area, as across the country, have lost in the political system. We made real strides against the Conservatives in this ward last year, so I am very disappointed that Labour fell into a distant third-place under my candidacy.

Part of the reason for our result is the excellent campaign put up by Thomas Bridge and the Conservatives. I am sure that Mark Reed would be very proud if he could see their efforts and the loyalty shown to him by their supporters.

However, it is unavoidable that another part of the reason for our result is that over half of our supporters from last year chose to either support Reform or to not place a vote this time. I was unable to offer a sufficient argument to these people and for that I am deeply sorry.

I am still, nonetheless, extremely grateful to everyone who supported our campaign, especially those who delivered leaflets, knocked on doors, or voted for me despite usually supporting the Lib Dems or the Greens.

I am very proud of what our campaign represented. Our councillors working in coalition have done more to reduce debt, invest in the high street, and increase our social housing stock then decades of single-party administrations.

This is part of a larger trend, with Reform winning six out of the seven council seats up for election across England last night. Their Department of Governmental Efficiency, modelled after the Trump administration’s, is spreading across the country. They will become responsible for more and more tough decisions and soon have a record of their own to be judged.

Our achievements in recent years are all under threat. We can and we must show people from the very highest level of government that there is an alternative. I shall continue to serve the Labour movement in whichever capacity it calls upon me. This is a battle for the soul of our country and it is far bigger than any one person.”

Jonathan Saunders

Jonathan is 24 years old, was born and raised in Brentwood, and attended Becket Keys Church of England School before studying at the University of Plymouth. He is now living in Brentwood again and studying at the University of London. He was a Labour candidate in Hutton South during the 2024 Brentwood Borough Council election and the 2025 Brentwood Borough Council by-election and has experience in retail, communications, and advocacy.