The interim leader of Warwickshire County Council insists Reform UK plans to stay in power despite a change at the top after less than six weeks.

The council announced on Wednesday that Cllr Rob Howard would be standing down as leader – but not as a councillor – just 41 days after being elected to the role. 

It leaves 18-year-old deputy Cllr George Finch in the hot seat while the party goes through an internal process to decide who its next group leader, and therefore the candidate it proposes to lead the county, will be. 

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service on Thursday, Cllr Finch said that the current plan is to ask council to elect a new leader at its next scheduled meeting on Tuesday, July 22.

He said he had learned of Cllr Howard's decision on Wednesday so had yet to consider whether he would put himself forward to lead the group on a permanent basis and was adamant there had been no political disagreements behind Cllr Howard's decision, aligning with the health grounds cited in the council's statement. 

"It is a shame and I extend my gratitude to Cllr Howard for his service," said Cllr Finch.

"Rob has been a part Reform for years, he stood in the general election (in 2024) and has been chairman of the (Nuneaton) branch.

"It (being leader) is a big job and he has done a good job sorting things out. We went from the Conservatives having 42 seats in Warwickshire to reducing them to nine and bringing Reform to 22. We have done an amazing job so far.

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"I will ensure the council is in steady hands until we have elected a new leader and I think we can deliver meaningful results.

"What we do is for the people of Warwickshire, we need to show we have stability and leadership and as interim leader I believe we are taking the right course of action in what needs to be done."

Asked whether he wanted the gig permanently, Cllr Finch said: "I haven't given it thought yet.

"It has been less than 24 hours and we have a lot to do. I am still doing the job as leader until we elect a new one, the job is still being done and needs to be done so it is business as usual until we elect a new leader."

Whoever is Reform UK's new group leader will not automatically become leader of the council.

The party holds 22 of the 57 seats on the council, more than any other political group but less than the 29 required for a majority.

That means any proposal to put in place a Reform UK leader, who then has the power to appoint a cabinet of councillors to take charge of the bulk of decision making at the authority, would need support from political rivals. 

Cllr Howard got the top job as a result of support from the Conservatives – Cllr Chris Mills was the only Tory not to back him – but the system in place at Shire Hall effectively pushes the reset button on that, leaving the Tories, or other groups, with a decision to make on whether to back Reform UK to keep running the show or gather around an alternative.

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Cllr Finch believes his party has a mandate to lead.

"The people of Warwickshire spoke on May 1," he said.

"We were elected with 22 councillors – effectively 23 (one Reform candidate ended up standing as an independent due to restrictions related to his work) – and have more than any other group.

"We got more votes than any other party and have that mandate from the people to lead. I believe it is our intention to continue as the administration and I believe that is what the people want."

Cllr Finch said he had spoken to some leaders of the other political groups and was in the process of contacting others on the basis of "full transparency".

"We are in a situation where we are not in full control so we will have to work together with the council," he added.

Asked whether he expected Reform UK to stay in power, Cllr Finch replied: "I hope we do. We will just have to wait to see."