The Guardian view on Reform UK v the Nottingham Post: a council’s boycott of its local paper is both petty and alarming | Editorial

Elected politicians should expect to be scrutinised. This attack on journalists is an attack on democracy too

The decision by Nottinghamshire council’s Reform UK leader, Mick Barton, to ban his councillors from speaking to the Nottingham Post is as absurd as it is troubling. The recently elected leader of a council with a budget of £668m ought to be eager to communicate with residents about his plans. Yet Mr Barton’s skin is apparently so thin that just three months after winning power, he announced the boycott in response to a news report about local government reforms.

An earlier row focused on a video interview given by James Walker-Gurley, which went viral after the cabinet member struggled to answer questions. This was embarrassing. But there was nothing unusual about the issues raised by the reporter, or about the local government story that prompted the ban. The Nottingham Post’s journalists were simply doing their job of scrutinising public authorities.