Sefton's first Reform councillor accused of sharing racist posts
Plus: Taxi fares to rise to above £5 for one mile journey
Hello and welcome to the 64th edition of The Southport Lead.
This week saw Reform UK gain its first representation on Sefton Council with the defection of Cllr Mike Morris from the Conservative party.
Cllr Morris, who was first elected in 2018 and was awarded an MBE for services to the Maritime Industry in 2022, was warmly welcomed in to the party as someone who “shares our vision for integrity and accountability”.
However, as has so often been the case with Reform selections, he is now facing questions over his social media activity amid accusations of making a series of racist and bigoted posts.
Reform’s first Sefton councillor shared racist and offensive posts
By Jamie Lopez
Reform’s first Sefton Council representative has come under fire over racist social media posts.
Cllr Mike Morris, who was first elected to Cambridge ward in 2018, defected from the Conservatives this week, becoming the first Reform councillor anywhere in the borough ahead of all-out elections next year.
He confirmed the decision on Thursday, announcing he believed the Tories had no chance of ever taking control of the authority. The party now has just three councillors left on the council.
He also echoed the national talking point of wanting to cut expenditure at council which have had their budgets dramatically reduced over the past decade.
Cllr Morris said: “In Sefton, only Reform can possibly command enough popular support to displace Labour and bring about the change that the local community so desperately and urgently needs.”
He added: "If anywhere needs Reform, it is Sefton. We need to establish to root out waste in council expenditure and ensure that taxpayers’ money is spent in a way that brings genuine benefit to Southport and its people”.
Attention has since been drawn to his social media use and a series of bigoted posts which have been shared with The Southport Lead. Among those, he commented “this country is buggered fir [sic] the british unless you cane [sic] from abroad”.
He also shared an image from a Katie Hopkins-supporting group which depicted a group of brown-skinned men holding a banner which was edited to read “please turn off your heating this winter, we need the money for our four star heated hotels”.
According to one source, concern has been growing over his online content over the past year and another post showed his apparent fall into right-wing talking points. It stated: “Lefties are saying that the Union Jack is offensive to Muslims and foreign visitors to Great Britain share if you couldn’t give a f*ck what these idiots think”.
He has also expressed support for Lucy Connolly, who became a cause célèbre for the right-wing after being jailed for inciting racial hatred in the wake of the Southport attack. Connolly has been framed by commentators and Reform politicians as a political martyr despite pleading guilty and having a history of sharing racist content.
The posts appear to be direct breaches of the code of conduct for councillors, which state that they should “treat all persons fairly and with respect" and "lead by example and act in a way that secures public confidence in the role of member".
Any trace of Cllr Morris was swiftly deleted from the Sefton Conservative’s website after the announcement. It had previously described him as active member of Hesketh Park Heritage Group and recognised his decades of work as a maritime pilot on the Manchester Ship Canal.
Among Cllr Morris’s most vocal contributions as a councillor have been opposing the rollout of Openreach’s rollout of overhead cables and criticising any attempts to install cycle lanes in the town.
Responding to the defection, Sefton’s Conservative group leader, Cllr Mike Prendergast said: “It’s disappointing that Mike Morris has decided to join another political party after being elected as a Conservative councillor, twice.
“It’s Conservatives in Southport and across Sefton who are best placed to beat Labour at the ballot box, as shown in this year’s only election within the Southport constituency.”
A Reform spokesperson said, “We’re delighted Mike has joined us. We welcome anyone who shares our vision for integrity, accountability, and meaningful change to join us.”
Leader of Sefton Council and Labour group leader, Cllr Marion Atkinson also commented on Cllr Morris’ move to Reform, she said: “It’s no surprise to me.
“Reform are Tories, Tories are reform. Vote Reform get Tories.”
Recommended reading
❌ I’ve largely avoided mentioning Lucy Connolly in this newsletter but she’s been raised already, here’s Darren Lewis’ piece in the Daily Mirror pushing back on those who seek to lie about her case to whip up hatred and division.
On a much nicer note, the BBC has featured an open-air art exhibition showcasing "everything that's good about Southport" which is currently on display at the Adventure Coast theme park.
Taxi fare increase set to make one mile journey cost more than £5
Taxi fares are set to increase, with higher charges introduced earlier in the evening, as cabbies battle rising costs.
Sefton Council will next week be asked to approve new fares which would see the cost of a one mile journey hit £5.10, an increase of 30p.
A key change which has been requested by the Hackney Carriage Trade - those which operate from taxi ranks - is to bring forward the higher tariffs from 11pm to 9pm each night.
This would mean an extra two hours where fares start from £4 rather than £3.20 and is designed to encourage more drivers to operate later at night and service the nighttime economy.
According to a report which will go before the council’s Licensing and Regulatory Committee, fares have not increased since October 2023 and the changes are being requested due to “rising inflation, running costs, and significant driver shortages for hackney carriage vehicles”.
The report states: “The trade representatives have indicated that the requested rise is intended to offset the increases in the general cost of living over the last two years and is an attempt to ensure driver’s net earnings do not fall below previous levels in real terms. Increases to local private hire fares may have also led to a loss of drivers.”
What’s On This Week: August 24-31
Get ready for the big one! Stunning aircraft from across the eras will be flying above town in the 2025 Southport Air Show over two days next weekend.
Before then, we have two days of the August Bank Holiday Weekend to enjoy, as we see off August - and the school summer holidays - in Southport in style.
Here’s what’s on in Southport between Sunday 24th August and Sunday 31st August 2025:
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