The two motions before Harrow Council on 27 November may appear unrelated – the Conservative motion attacking Sadiq Khan over the closure of Pinner Police Station’s volunteer-run front desk, and Labour’s motion condemning national suggestions of deporting legally settled migrants – but together they expose a clear political trend.
Harrow’s Conservatives are increasingly echoing the right-wing themes shaping their national party’s battle with Reform UK. That shift comes as the Conservatives face existential peril nationally: new polling reported by The London Economic suggests the party could be reduced to just 14 seats if a general election were held now.
The police-station motion, though framed as concern for volunteers, leans heavily on familiar anti-Khan and “law and order” narratives defining both Conservative and Reform campaigning. Its tone mirrors the nationalistic rhetoric in Reform UK’s recent leaflet in Harrow, which has intensified pressure on local Conservatives to tack rightward.
Labour’s motion underscores why this matters. When senior Conservative and Reform figures entertain deporting legally settled migrants, it sends shockwaves through communities in one of London’s most diverse boroughs. Local reassurance becomes necessary because national politics has grown so extreme.
Taken together, the motions reveal a Conservative group increasingly shaped by defections to Reform, by far-right populist themes, and by anxiety ahead of next year’s council elections. Instead of leading, Harrow Conservatives appear intent on shadowing Reform for political gain.
Harrow deserves better than a race to the right. Local politics should reflect the needs of residents – not the talking points of a party drifting further down the ideological fringe.
Harrow’s Conservatives are increasingly echoing the right-wing themes shaping their national party’s battle with Reform UK. That shift comes as the Conservatives face existential peril nationally: new polling reported by The London Economic suggests the party could be reduced to just 14 seats if a general election were held now.
The police-station motion, though framed as concern for volunteers, leans heavily on familiar anti-Khan and “law and order” narratives defining both Conservative and Reform campaigning. Its tone mirrors the nationalistic rhetoric in Reform UK’s recent leaflet in Harrow, which has intensified pressure on local Conservatives to tack rightward.
Labour’s motion underscores why this matters. When senior Conservative and Reform figures entertain deporting legally settled migrants, it sends shockwaves through communities in one of London’s most diverse boroughs. Local reassurance becomes necessary because national politics has grown so extreme.
Taken together, the motions reveal a Conservative group increasingly shaped by defections to Reform, by far-right populist themes, and by anxiety ahead of next year’s council elections. Instead of leading, Harrow Conservatives appear intent on shadowing Reform for political gain.
Harrow deserves better than a race to the right. Local politics should reflect the needs of residents – not the talking points of a party drifting further down the ideological fringe.
Harrow Monitoring Group 