Cornwall coalition without Reform 'undemocratic'
BBCReform UK has described the possibility of being excluded from a coalition council being formed to run Cornwall as "undemocratic".
Reform won 28 seats in Cornwall Council on Friday, making it the party with the most council members but short of the 44 needed to gain overall control, meaning a coalition administration will have to be formed.
Liberal Democrats picked up 26 seats and Independents 16, while the Conservative Party has seven, Labour four and the Greens and Mebyon Kernow picking up three each.
Cornwall county co-ordinator for Reform, Robert Parsonage, said a coalition without Reform could seem "manufactured to exclude people who have been voted in" by the electorate.
"I think that would be, what I would say, undemocratic," he said.
"We have the largest mandate and it would be disappointing if we went in that direction."
He added: "It's all about putting together a group of people who are dedicated to taking Cornwall forward."
'Ranting and raving'
Any coalition of political parties would need at least 44 seats to gain majority control of Cornwall Council.
Leigh Frost, the leader of the Liberal Democrats group, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that forming a coalition with Reform was a "definite no".
There is more likely to be a Liberal Democrat and Independent pact, but they would still need a political partner to reach 44 seats.
Frost told the BBC the Liberal Democrats want to be the "party of hope".
"We want to work together, we want communities to work together for the betterment of everyone," he said.
He added: "It's not done by just point scoring, ranting and raving, and not coming up with any coherent plan to help people."
Analysis from political reporter Seb Noble: More fragmented than ever
The big question heading into this set of local elections in Cornwall was what impact Reform UK would have, and the answer was an emphatic one.
The new kids on the block are now the largest party on the authority with 28 seats.
Most of those came at the expense of the Conservatives, who after four years in power, suffered 40 losses.
This is a result which has left the political map of Cornwall more fragmented than ever before.
With a council decidedly hung and some form of coalition needing to be formed to share power.
But how many parties will be involved and will it include Reform?
The largest party said it must do, to avoid being accused of being a "backroom stitch-up" and appearing undemocratic.
Other parties are already talking about coalescing into some type of rainbow coalition to keep Reform out of power.
As the dust settles on this election and fight for seats, the next battle for control of Cornwall Council is already beginning.
Will the outcome be any more predictable or stable than the result of this election?
LIVE: Follow the latest election updates
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SIMPLE GUIDE: When will we know the rest of the results?
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