Reform UK's Andy Osborn, a Cambridgeshire County Council councillor elected in 2025, was convicted under Section 106 RPA 1983 at Westminster Magistrates' Court in April 2026 for false statements about a rival candidate. His seat was vacated.Source: Lowdown

Who is Andy Osborn and why was he convicted?

Andy Osborn is a Reform UK councillor on Cambridgeshire County Council, elected in May 2025. He was convicted on 16 April 2026 at Westminster Magistrates' Court under Section 106 RPA 1983 for publishing false statements about Conservative candidate Samantha Hoy. He was fined £1,800 and must vacate his seat.Source: Westminster Magistrates' Court

Background

Cambridgeshire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the county of Cambridgeshire in the East of England. It is responsible for adult social care, children's services, education, highways, and strategic planning across the county, which includes Cambridge city as well as the districts of East Cambridgeshire, Fenland, Huntingdonshire, and South Cambridgeshire.

In April 2026, Reform UK councillor Andy Osborn, elected to represent a Cambridgeshire division in May 2025, was convicted at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 16 April under Section 106 RPA 1983 for publishing a false Facebook post about Conservative candidate Samantha Hoy during the 2025 elections. He was fined £1,800 in total and must vacate his seat, triggering a by-election.

Cambridgeshire was one of the counties targeted by Reform UK in 2025 as part of its county council campaign. The Osborn conviction adds to the organisational pressure Reform has faced — the party lost 65 of 677 councillors nationally through quit, defection, or expulsion in the first year after the 2025 elections. The vacated Cambridgeshire seat will require a by-election after 7 May.

Source Material

Cambridgeshire County Council