Campaigners have criticised Reform UK for "confusing accountability with activism" over the Nottinghamshire council leader's refusal to speak to the Nottingham Post.
Nottinghamshire County Council leader Mick Barton last week said that none of the council's 40 Reform UK councillors would give interviews or send press releases to Nottinghamshire Live or its local democracy reporters (LDRs), other than in emergencies such as flooding.
It prompted a petition signed by more than 26,000 people [as of September 2] to rescind the ban which the newspaper described as "a massive attack on democracy and vital press scrutiny".
The council leader has since told ITV that he will not speak to the newspapers' reporters again until he receives “a full apology” - although it has been reported that other councillors are no longer banned from doing so.
Reform’s deputy leader Richard Tice spoke to BBC Radio Bristol and criticised “people who pretend to be media and act as activists”.
Naomi Smith, chief executive of Best for Britain, said:
“In refusing to talk to the Nottingham Post, Reform UK are confusing accountability with activism, which tells us all we need to know about how they would act if allowed anywhere near national levers of power.
“In a democracy, the freedom of the press is not an optional extra and elected representatives must respect it. With the President of the United States banning AP and Wall Street Journal reporters from covering White House events, this is yet another example of Reform’s Trumpian-style tactics.”