South Tyneside councillor Alex Barr quits Reform UK group after just 97 days - what we know so far

Who is Alex Barr?

He was elected councillor for Primrose at the local elections on May 7.

But Cllr Barr didn’t just scrape into power, he topped the Primrose poll with 946 votes, ahead of fellow Reform candidates Adam Smith on 882 and Elaine Thomas on 823.

In the run up to the elections in April, the Reform UK - Jarrow and Gateshead Facebook page said: ‘Alexander is a company director and chartered engineer and has lived in Jarrow all his life.

‘Raising a family here, Alexander knows what is important to the town.’

In the piece, it reported that: ‘If elected, Alexander with his business experience and local roots would be well placed to represent the community.’

His overwhelming victory in the polls makes his sudden resignation all the more striking.

Has he ever appeared in the Gazette?

Yes. During Covid, Mr Barr featured in a story in May 2021 praising South Tyneside’s Labour-run council for the efforts they made in helping businesses in the community.

At the time Mr Barr was described as the co-owner of Barr Porter and Thai Udon Kitchen in South Shields. His businesses were among those to receive top up grant ranging from £6,000 to £14,000 that were distributed to hospitality, accommodation and event businesses already in receipt of grant payments.

He said: “Thank you very much for this, we weren’t expecting another payment. Credit to South Tyneside Council and the proactive way they have handled Covid in the last year or so.

"We paid all our staff throughout this period and we wouldn’t have been able to without their support.”

Mr Barr also appeared in the Gazette in June, 2021, after finding a secret passageway in the venue which he had been told was haunted.

What happened to make him resign this week?

At this point we really don’t know. Details are scant. At 11pm on Tuesday, August 11, the Reform UK - South Shields Facebook page put out a ‘Press Statement from Reform UK South Tyneside.’

The statement consisted of a quote from Cllr Paul Mackins, the leader of South Tyneside Council.

It read: "Cllr Alex Barr has today resigned voluntarily from the South Tyneside Reform UK Group.

“Cllr Barr will continue to represent Primrose ward as an independent councillor until further notice.

“Reform UK will not be making further comment on this matter.”

How long was he a Reform UK councillor?

He was elected on May 7 and, according to the Reform UK statement, resigned on August 11. If you count the day they were elected and the day they resigned, that’s a total of 97 days.

Does that mean there will be another by-election?

No. Not as things stand. The press release from Reform UK states that Cllr Barr will continue to represent the Primrose ward as an independent councillor. If that is the case, then there will be no need for another by-election.

The concern is that this statement has come from Reform UK and not Cllr Barr. The statement adds the caveat that he will represent the ward as an independent ‘until further notice’. The phrase ‘until further notice’ does leave some uncertainty over his longer-term intentions. If he were subsequently to resign as a councillor, that would create a vacancy and could trigger a by-election.

At this moment in time there has been no comment from Cllr Barr.