Doncaster councillor defects to Advance UK - days after quitting and then re-joining Reform
Councillor Nicola Brown, who represents Adwick & Carcroft, will become Advance UK’s first councillor in Doncaster.
NOTE TO EDITORS: Reform UK spokesperson comment added.
A Doncaster councillor has quit Reform UK for a second time to join Advance UK, a new political party backed by the anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson.
Councillor Nicola Brown, who represents Adwick & Carcroft on the City of Doncaster Council, will become Advance UK’s first councillor in Doncaster.
Revealing her defection in a statement, Cllr Brown said her decision came after Reform UK’s decision to back £57million in borrowing for Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA).
She said: “I am in favour of reopening Doncaster Sheffield Airport, but not at the cost of putting Doncaster people and our public services at unacceptable financial risk for the next 25 years, especially when private outside investment offers were available and we were not given the opportunity to explore them properly.
“I wanted to vote no on the £57 million borrowing until we had the full facts so that I could make a good and conscientious decision. We were told to vote yes, vote no and lose the whip. If you want to abstain then stay away from the meeting.
“Doncaster Reform councillors work incredibly hard and genuinely try to do their best for our city, and I will always respect that and them.
“My decision today is not about them — it’s about a party that wanted me to go against what my conscience was telling me and therefore sacrifice my principles.
“After a lot of thought and soul-searching I realised this kind of pressure is inevitable the next time a difficult decision comes up for Doncaster, and the only way to stay true to my conscience and the people of Doncaster is to leave Reform.”
Doncaster Council voted to approve the £57m in borrowing for DSA with an overwhelming majority.
It was the final legislative hurdle the council faced in the reopening of the airport, a project Mayor Ros Jones promised to complete in her May 2025 election campaign.
A Reform UK spokesperson said they were “disappointed” with Cllr Brown’s decision, but added: “Reform UK remains committed to the reopening of Doncaster Sheffield Airport and delivering on the promises we made during the election.”
Cllr Brown added: “Under Advance UK I can serve my constituents better: with freedom of speech, without fear of threats or pressure, and with complete faith in a leadership that truly cares.
“Advance UK is built on serious, principled politics. That is why I am proud to join it today. Thank you for your continued support.”
Advance UK, set up by former Reform UK deputy leader Ben Habib after a falling out with Nigel Farage and Zia Yusuf, was officially registered to stand candidates in the UK on December 4, 2025.
Mr Habib said: “Nickie Brown is a principled lady who got into politics, like me, because we are concerned about the state of the country.
“She’s at a point of her life where she doesn’t need to do it, but she’s doing it because she cares.
“Reform UK still carries the hopes and aspirations of many people in this country, but sadly the reality of Reform doesn’t match these hopes… It’s often making decisions that are not in the public interest.
“Nickie has seen that and, like Nickie, I have also seen that. Our party is what Reform should have been.”
At the time of writing, Cllr Nicola Brown is still a Reform UK councillor on the City of Doncaster Council website.
Cllr Brown had resigned from Reform UK on Friday, November 28, 2025, following the full council meeting to vote on the DSA borrowing. However, she withdrew her resignation and was re-listed as a Reform UK councillor the following Monday.