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A 19-year-old affiliated with Britain’s far-right Reform UK party was officially designated on Tuesday to lead a local council managing finances around £2 billion.
George Finch is reported to be the youngest permanent council leader in the UK, according to various British media outlets.
Finch was elected to head Warwickshire County Council, located in the West Midlands region of England, following a vote conducted by councillors, as confirmed by a spokesperson for the local council to AFP.
Since Reform lacks a majority on Warwickshire Council, the authority’s chairman, who is also a councillor from Reform, cast a vote to resolve a tie.
Finch, who is studying politics, recently took over as temporary leader of the council after his predecessor stepped down due to health issues. During his time as the interim leader, he garnered attention by asking for a Pride flag to be taken down from the council’s headquarters.
He will manage a budget of £500 million and oversee council assets valued at £1.5 billion, as reported by several news outlets.
Nigel Farage’s anti-immigrant Reform party secured numerous local council and mayoral positions during the elections on May 1.
This far-right organisation currently outpaces both the ruling Labour Party and the main opposition Conservative Party in national polls, although the next general election is not expected for another four years.
