The leader of the four-strong group that could sway Warwickshire County Council decisions has vowed to park political beliefs when it comes to local issues – and is calling on rivals to follow suit.

Cllr Luke Cooper leads a quartet of ex-Reform UK councillors who have defected to Restore Britain, shifts that have seen Rupert Lowe's new party gain a potentially-decisive role in full council votes due the delicate political balance at Shire Hall.

Left-right squabbles have been a feature of many council meetings since Reform took charge in May 2025 and while Restore's national position is seen as being to the right of Reform on issues like immigration and welfare, Cllr Cooper insists entrenched beliefs have no place at the negotiating table on local issues.

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "I am hoping to push for more positive work for Warwickshire through cross-party motions.

"When you have a minority (administration), we should have seen lots but we have found out the hard way that even on positive motions that has not carried forward. I want to turn the dial on that for the good of Warwickshire as a whole.

"That's where I think they (Reform UK) fall down, especially with (council leader) George Finch stopping people doing cross-party work when it would benefit Reform's work.

"They have denied it because, for instance, they can't work with the Greens. It doesn't matter if they like the cycle lanes more than you do.

"We have the country lane and green tree people and I can work with that ideologically in certain areas. Say they want cycle paths, as long it doesn't come at the cost of other issues then there is no negative.

"Just because I am a nationalist doesn't mean I don't want a green and pleasant land. You can find some crossover in terms of keeping the countryside and if you use a good-faith interpretation of the arguments, you can find that you can work with people.

"Policies and motions will stand on their merits. They should be taken at face value and a lot of the issues between 'right' and 'left' in this country are to do with framing.

"People can get polarised on national issues but the local issues shouldn't be so much of a worry.

"Unless something overtly political comes up, we should be able to work with each other on almost every topic. People can be brought to the table to save trees for a greener England, or lower speeds to help school children.

"Right-wing doesn't mean bad, left-wing doesn't mean bad. They are subjective opinions."

Asked whether he believed his wish would be granted by others, Cllr Cooper replied: "I am a big believer in people.

"The left-wingers we have, if they can't see past my views on immigration when trying to help pass a motion on schools then I'd say they were lost but to be honest I haven't seen too much of that.

"Some people can be blinded by hatred at times but we have semi-rational people. I can only talk about my willingness to work cross-party, if others aren't willing to then that would be sad for them.

"I know that I will work cross-party. There would have to be a tangible reason to shut down a motion and as far as I am able to influence things, I wouldn't allow people to shut down things for ideological reasons.

"We get on with other groups and have talked about how things could work before to get to what people want, or at least a happy compromise.

"Politics has been called the art of compromise and that should be used to its fullest extent."

Restore's cohort at Shire Hall doubled in number after Councillor Dan Glover (New Bilton & Overslade) and Councillor Rob Aitkenhead (Coleshill North & Water Orton) defected last month with Cllr Cooper praising their "moral fortitude".

"It was a very hard thing to do," he said.

"I had to do this, my deputy (Cllr Scott Cameron) had to do this, so we know how hard it was but I hope that Dan and Rob can revel in the happiness that it brings.

"Once you rip off the plaster there is a proper sense of euphoria and it doesn't go away for a long time. I hope they are enjoying the same sense of relief."

Cllr Finch has been approached for comment.