A councillor who quit Reform UK has accused the party of "bullying" and branded one of its council motions "outright racist".
Councillor Jon Barras, who was elected as a Reform UK representative for Bolton & Undercliffe in May, will now sit as an independent on Bradford Council.
Asked why he quit, Cllr Barras said the problems began when he tried to become a Reform candidate last year and later spread to council committee appointments.
"First council meeting, they said I was supposed to be on the licensing committee.
"Without even consulting me they took me off it," he said.
The Bradford Council Reform UK Group said it was "disappointed" by the complaints and that Cllr Barras had "never shared his concerns with our Group before".
The party said it had considered interest from several councillors when making the appointments.
Allegations of 'secondary school behaviour'
Cllr Barras also alleged that a Reform UK colleague had criticised his appearance.
Councillor Jon Barras (Image: Bradford Council)
He claimed they told him he was dressed inappropriately and needed a tailored suit.
Cllr Barras called the comments "insulting".
"I frankly find that secondary school behaviour. I find it disgusting."
He later bought a tailored suit that cost him and his mother "a fortune", then claimed he was greeted with a sarcastic remark.
(Image: T&A)
Cllr Barras called the exchange "clearly a personal attack" that he "didn't expect when representing that group".
Recent motion 'outright racist'
But he said the final straw came at last week’s full council meeting, where Reform tabled two controversial motions.
One called for Bradford to withdraw from its status as a City of Sanctuary. The motion was defeated by a single vote.
The second, titled Supporting White Working Class Children, was approved by councillors.
The motion cited evidence that white working-class children, particularly boys, can face serious educational disadvantages.
It called for more work to assess educational outcomes and improve opportunities through mentoring, apprenticeships and targeted support programmes.
Supporters said the motion tackled genuine inequalities, but Cllr Barras called the approach "outright racist".
"I've got several godchildren that are not white.
"Why would I support something that would be detrimental to them?
"I would have voted against that motion because I don't give a cr*p what colour skin you are, every child deserves the same," he said.
Cllr responds to calls for by-election
Despite his concerns about the local group, Cllr Barras said he still supported Reform nationally and would vote for it at a general election.
His comments came after Reform group leader Councillor Stephen Place, leader of Bradford Council, publicly called on him to resign and trigger a by-election.
Responding to those comments, Cllr Barras said: "That's not happening.
"The only people who can tell me to call a by-election are the constituents in Bolton and Undercliffe through a recall petition."
He questioned why former Conservative MP Robert Jenrick had not faced similar demands after defecting to Reform earlier this year.
When it was put to him that residents had elected him as a Reform candidate, Cllr Barras replied: "If that was a problem, all three of the reform candidates would have been elected."
Future plans
Looking ahead, Cllr Barras said he intends to continue serving as an independent councillor.
He said: "I intend to remain as an independent, but I have joined the ACORN Housing and Communities Union."
He said constituents could expect him to work more closely with the Labour councillors representing the ward.
"I'm looking for a meeting with them.
"We can move forward there and there'll be a lot more involvement for me," he said.
He added: "When my terms up in two years, I will let the people decide on my record."
Reform response in full
In response, the Bradford Council Reform UK Group said: "We are disappointed to learn of these complaints from Councillor Barras, as he has never shared his concerns with our Group before.
"Firstly, regarding attire at Council Meetings, our Group expects the highest standards of professional conduct and appearance from all members, as they serve as public representatives of residents across Bradford District.
"Secondly, many Group members have expressed interest in fulfilling various committee roles since May, including on the Licensing Committee.
"These many expressions were considered alongside the commitment which individual members were prepared to make.
"Finally, regarding our Group Motions at the recent Bradford Council Meeting, Councillor Barras did not raise any concerns or objections before these were submitted.
"Indeed, he did not attend the Council Meeting to vote against them either."
The group repeated its call for Cllr Barras to stand down.