He’s the very first Reform UK councillor in Salford.

Michael Felse was elected with a margin of just 33 votes in the Barton and Winton by-election on April 22, narrowly beating Labour candidate Catherine Goodyer.

Turnout was low, with 1,941 votes cast in total, making up just 17.82 per cent of the electorate.

The by-election came after the death of former Labour councillor David Lancaster in February, who was England’s longest-serving councillor.

Controversially, it was called after a ‘niche rule’ from 1972 was invoked by Reform UK’s candidate in Little Hulton, Lewis Croden, and his relative.

The move to call an early election was slammed by Salford Labour, who said it could end up costing the taxpayer more than £20,000.

Mr Croden hit back, saying ‘Salford has been taken for granted by Labour for years.’

Michael Felse’s victory in the race on April 22 was lauded by Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who called it a ‘huge win’ for the party.

Zia Yusuf, who describes himself as Reform UK’s shadow home secretary, also shared his delight at ‘defeating Labour in their heartlands’.

Barton and Winton was once considered a ‘safe’ Labour area politically. In the 2024 local elections, Labour won a council seat in the ward with a majority of more than 1,200 votes.

But that majority vanished last night, weeks ahead of this year’s local elections on May 7 when one third of council seats in Salford will be up for grabs.

Reform sources in Salford had a simple message after their by-election win: “Roll on May.”

So who is Michael Felse, Barton and Winton’s newest councillor, and what are his plans for the ward?

The first thing to say is that he’s a man who has proved hard to get a hold of.

Busy with ‘assessing candidates’ the day after his by-election victory, he didn’t answer the phone, but agreed to answer questions over email.

Mr Felse explained over text that his responses were read by his election agent, Ivan Voronov, before he shared them.

Voronov himself is standing as a Reform UK candidate in Walkden South on May 7.

During the by-election count late on April 22, Coun Felse joked that he ‘may get in trouble’ for speaking to the press without his agent around.
It’s a sign of the tight grip the party seems to hold over its message ahead of the crunch local elections in May.

Mr Felse was born in July 1949, and is aged 76. He hails from a Doncaster mining village, and says he’s lived in Salford for the last 30 years.

His father was a coal face worker, his mother a housewife and part-time barmaid.

After leaving school aged 15, his first job was as a trainee at the village coalmine. He said he took up night school studies, gaining a 100 per cent pass in shorthand and business.

Mr Felse had his first foray into politics when he was ‘headhunted’ in his late teens by Doncaster’s then Labour MP. He was tasked with compiling source documentation for the Health and Safety at Work Act that was being steered through the House of Commons at the time.

He currently works as director of a City and Guilds accredited adult skills training centre in Salford.

As for his free time, he said he enjoys bridges, trains and planes.

He added: “I enjoy visiting Manchester Aviation Viewing Park and Barton Aerodrome where the café makes the most amazing egg butties.”

So how did Mr Felse get involved with Reform?

He says his cousin was the Reform general election candidate in Crewe and Nantwich, and gave him ‘chapter and verse’ while introducing him to the party.

Outside of politics, Councillor Felse may be best known for his appearance at Manchester Pride in 2011, heading it as the parade queen under alter ego Ethol Mary.

But he points out that the ‘drag act was 15 years ago, a one-off charity promoting event’, and driven by his work as inclusion and safeguarding officer for a Greater Manchester LGBT sport teams at the time.

Michael Felse’s political past is varied. He claims he was once a Labour member but was expelled from the party 15 years ago, explaining that it happened after his appearance as parade queen at Manchester Pride in 2011.

His first interview after being elected in the early hours of April 23 was with the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), and Mr Felse took aim at his former party with his comments.

He said: “15 years ago Labour expelled me, and there are lots of others who are not happy with the Labour Party.

“I think they need to think about what they’re doing these days rather than me giving them advice.”

The Barton and Winton by-election was not Mr Felse’s first attempt at public office.

In 2009, he stood as an independent in the race to be Doncaster’s mayor. The election was won by Peter Davies of the English Democrats.

Mr Felse went on to run in the first election for directly elected mayor in Salford in May 2012, standing for the English Democrats.

He picked up 1,600 votes in the contest, but Labour’s Ian Stewart was comfortably elected as the city’s first mayor with 20,663 ballots.

In 2012, Felse announced his intention to stand for police commissioner against Manchester Central Labour MP Tony Lloyd.

He revealed he faced an incident during his campaigning in Barton and Winton where he was attacked by an ‘unmuzzled vicious dog’ in Eccles. He said the dog caused him to fall to the ground before it was pulled back under control.

Outside of politics, Mr Felse appears on the government’s business portal, Companies House.

He is attributed to holding numerous directorships at companies which are based at the same address in Salford Quays.

Some were described on Companies House as operating in the field of ‘management consultancy’.

Speaking after his victory in the Barton and Winton by-election, Councillor Felse thanked voters for backing him.

He said: “Here we are making history in Salford as the first Reform councillor.

“It’s going to be a lonely fortnight and I’m looking forward to having many colleagues join me in Reform on May 7.”

Setting out his priorities for the ward, he added: “I’m very sad to say there are a lot of problems in Barton and Winton, I was actually horrified when I was walking the streets and seeing the litter, the pot holes, it’s a real problem area, and at the same time they’re sat there watching money being pumped into the [Salford Community] stadium.

“I’ve nothing against the stadium, I quite like rugby myself, but there needs to be priorities, they need to listen to the people, they know what they want, and that’s why they voted this way today – they want change, they want improvement, and that’s what we’ve got to give them.”