New Reform councillor explains slip-of-the-tongue ‘UKIP’ TV gaffe

He said he has been involved in politics for 15 years, “from the UKIP days all the way to Reform”

A Reform UK councillor who has become the star of a viral video has spoken about his now-infamous “UKIP” gaffe.

Peter Reeve, who won the Stanground South ward seat on May 7, has achieved notoriety after mistakenly referring to his former party, UKIP, in a television interview at Peterborough’s local election results.

Speaking to the press during the early hours of May 8, a jubilant Mr Reeve said: “Our message is: ‘UKIP’s here, working hard with local communities.”

He subsequently corrected himself, quickly clarifying that he had been involved in politics for 15 years “from the UKIP days all the way to Reform”.

The clip has since gone viral after being posted on social media. So was it a simple mis-speak or more of a Freudian slip?

“So, essentially; [it was] four o’clock in the morning, [and the] tenth interview in a row,” Cllr Reeve told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

“It wasn’t deliberate,” he continued, chuckling at his own faux-pas: “some people are suggesting that [as] I’ve had so much media coverage off the back of it.”

Deliberate or not, it’s fair to say that the newly installed councillor definitely has received a lot of attention as a result. “The national coverage I’ve got from that mistake is absolutely huge,” he acknowledged.

The councillor said he bears no grudge at all with the broadcaster that aired his clanger. “I don’t see a real problem with the ITV interview itself,” he said, adding “they made light of it.”

However, Cllr Reeve was keen to clarify that Reform UK “is an entirely different party with an entirely different agenda,” to UKIP.

At the same time, he was also eager to confirm “I’ve got no shame in what we did with UKIP.”

One thing that has irked Cllr Reeve is how the clip has since been manipulated by some on social media, an arena which he admits he has only modest experience dealing with.

He said: “The.. thing I’ve learned is how brutal social media is. [The] really, really nasty comments on there have made me realise just how toxic social media is.

“It’s really opened up my eyes at what some kids and the younger generation are… going through and the level of trauma it can cause.”

Though he has not enjoyed this curt introduction to the darker side of digital fame, he still believes the experience has been “really useful.”

“I’ve got a much better insight into how social media can affect people in a toxic and negative way.”