Column: If District Alliance is just a rebrand, what does that make Reform UK?

He describes us as the same people with different makeup and accuses us of trying to mislead residents.

He's entitled to his opinion.

But his argument raises an interesting question about Reform UK itself.

Lee Anderson was a Labour councillor, then a Conservative MP, and now represents Reform UK.

And he's hardly alone in changing political colours.

Look at Nottinghamshire.

Former Conservative Mansfield MP and county council leader Ben Bradley has joined Reform, along with Newark MP Robert Jenrick, a former Conservative cabinet minister and leadership contender.

Then there's former Conservative chancellor Nadhim Zahawi, who joined Reform after settling a tax dispute with HMRC involving a payment of nearly £5m, including a penalty.

With so many former Conservatives joining Reform, couldn't exactly the same accusation of political rebranding be levelled at them?

And what about the actions of individuals?

Nathan Gill, Reform's former leader in Wales, was jailed for 10-and-a-half years for accepting bribes to promote pro-Russian interests.

National investigations have also exposed racist and offensive comments made by some Reform councillors and candidates, raising questions about its vetting procedures.

Does that mean every Reform councillor is a tax dodger, a Russian sympathiser or a racist?

Of course not.

That would be an outrageous and unfair generalisation.

Yet apparently, former Ashfield Independent councillors are all supposed to carry collective responsibility for the actions of others.

There's a contradiction much closer to home.

Coun Andy Gascoyne was twice elected as an Ashfield Independent before defecting to Reform UK.

He now leads Reform UK's group on Ashfield Council.

I've no criticism of Andy for changing parties.

But why should his previous association be acceptable while ours is used against us?

Changing political allegiance cannot be perfectly respectable when somebody joins Reform but automatically suspicious when somebody leaves the Ashfield Independents.

And there's another issue.

Lee Anderson says he wants the Ashfield Independent administration removed.

I understand those concerns and I believe the council needs proper scrutiny and accountability.

But if Reform genuinely wants change, its actions in the council chamber matter just as much as its newspaper columns.

Walking out of meetings does not necessarily remove an administration.

Nor does attacking other opposition councillors.

District Alliance has 10 councillors who have made the decision to leave the Ashfield Independents.

We're not hiding our history and we don't expect residents to take our word that things will be different.

Judge us by our decisions, our voting records and what we actually achieve.

I fully support proper investigation of wrongdoing and failures of governance at Ashfield Council.

Nobody should be above scrutiny, regardless of political allegiance.

But scrutiny must be fair and individual responsibility must mean something.

Lee Anderson and Reform are entitled to challenge District Alliance.

We are equally entitled to ask whether they apply the same standards to their own politicians.

Because if changing political allegiance makes someone a fraud or a political opportunist, Reform has some explaining to do.

Personally, I would rather spend my time holding the council to account than arguing about who used to wear which party rosette.

The people of Ashfield deserve better than that.