It was reported on 31 August that Councillor Jack McGlenen, a County Durham councillor who represents Dalton and Dawdon and who was expelled from Reform UK for his drunken behaviour at an Armed Forces Day event, has joined a new party.
It was noted that the councillor will now sit as a member of the Social Democratic Party (SDP). Having been expelled from Reform UK in September 2025, Cllr McGlenen apologised for his behaviour, saying he had learned from his mistakes.
He was expelled from Reform UK after “allegations of public drunkenness and abusive behaviour at an event to honour the armed forces in Seaham.”
The expulsion
It had been previously reported in September 2025 that Cllr McGlenen had faced accusations of “public intoxication, offensive behaviour towards hospitality workers and making derogatory comments about Reform UK” at an event in Seaham on 28 June.
It was further noted that Cllr McGlenen went on to a disciplinary procedure that resulted in his expulsion from Reform UK. He then served the Dalton and Dawdon ward first as an Independent, prior to joining the SDP.
Cllr McGlenen was reported to have told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “I accept and apologise for my mistakes and forever regret what happened.”
Councillor McGlenen also spoke last year about health issues, which he said he had been successfully tackling with the help of his GP.
More Reform chaos in County Durham
It is good to see that Councillor McGlenen is now seemingly getting his life back on track following the problems he has had. We should all wish him well with that and hopefully he can go on to prove himself to be a good representative for the people of Dalton and Dawdon.
However, mention also needs to be made that he is hardly the first Reform councillor in the North East to have either quit the party or had to stand down as a councillor altogether.
Far too many times now, Reform UK has caused chaos in the council chambers and communities of the North East; through a string of problems. Only last month another Reform councillor stood down from the party group on South Tyneside council. This kind of incident seems to be happening regularly with regards to Reform in our region.
When electors go to the polls in local elections, they need clarity about just who and what they are voting for. Sadly, too often that has not been the case with elected representatives of Reform UK.
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