With party leader Sam Mézec losing his bid for an Island-wide seat, Reform Jersey faces a number of immediate questions… Who takes charge now? When will a new leader be chosen? And is the party finally preparing to change its name?
Who is the new leader?
Unlike the leadership dramas that often unfold in the Westminster political world, there has been no visible scramble to succeed Deputy Mézec, with party figures instead stressing the need to regroup after the election.
Speaking to Express, Deputy Lyndsay Feltham confirmed that she will temporarily take over leadership responsibilities in line with the party’s constitution while Reform decides its next steps.
Any new leader will need to be approved by the party’s membership at a meeting. However, Deputy Feltham said that no timeline had been put in place for such a decision.
“Our focus is looking after our team following the election,” she said.
“We need to look after all of our team both our candidates that got elected and those who didn’t, and the people who have been volunteering for us.”
What are the next steps for Sam Mézec?
The new States Assembly will be sworn in on Friday.
Ahead of that, Deputy Mézec has not publicly addressed what his next steps will be when he ceases to become a States Member, nor has he responded to media requests for comment or interview since the election.
On Monday morning, he shared a post on Facebook highlighting what he saw as the party’s achievements in government, and described his “strongest legacy” as the new Residential Tenancy Law.
Appearing to acknowledge a changing of the guard, he added: “It will now be the job of new leadership of Reform Jersey to take our movement forward. À bétôt.”
Is it time for Reform to rebrand?
Another question facing the party is whether it will continue to operate under the Reform Jersey name.
The issue has long been a sensitive one, with some islanders confusing the party with Reform UK despite the two organisations having no connection.
Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party first applied to the Electoral Commission to change its name to Reform UK back in 2020. The party contested 275 seats and took 2% of votes, though it did not succeed in securing an MP in the 2019 general election.
At the time, Reform Jersey stated that it had no plans to change its name.
However, Express understands that the question has come to the fore once more in recent months as Reform UK’s influence grows, and in particular following the party’s strong performance in English local elections earlier this year, although party figures suggested any decision would likely be taken in the autumn.
Having found himself on the receiving end of comments from scores of Reform UK supporters and opposers on TikTok during the election campaign period, Deputy Tom Coles – who secured his St Helier South seat in the States Assembly for another term – was forced to share a “clarification” video.
“[I’m] quite staggered by the response I got to a video yesterday that was shared and reposted,” he said.
“I think we need to be clear that Reform Jersey is not connected to the Reform UK party. We are a social democratic party here in the island of Jersey.”
The discussion around Reform Jersey’s future identity is not solely about confusion with Reform UK.
It is understood that party members have also debated whether the “Reform” brand accurately reflects the party’s political positioning, amid concerns that some voters perceive it as being further to the left than the party considers itself to be.
According to AGM documents seen by Express, members voted in 2024 to formally extend the party’s name with the strapline “The Social Democratic Party”. The motion was carried with what the documents described as “overwhelming support”.
However, that branding featured only sparingly during the 2026 election campaign, with the party continuing to campaign primarily under the Reform Jersey name.
Asked whether the election result had accelerated name change discussions, Deputy Feltham said it would be a “decision for the executive committee”, but that there isn’t currently a timeline for when it will be made.
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