Barmy Army is distancing itself from 'unofficial leader' after he announced Reform candidacy

By PATRICK HARRINGTON, UK NEWS REPORTER Published: 01:40, 29 April 2026 | Updated: 01:40, 29 April 2026 The Barmy Army has distanced itself from one of its best-known members after he announced he was standing for Reform in May's local elections. Vic Flowers, 74, who has been touted as the unofficial leader of the England cricket fans' group, revealed last week he was representing Nigel Farage's party in the Oldham Council election. Mr Flowers is known for his bold outfits an abundance of England-themed clobber, which make him easy to pick out in the crowd - as cameras often do. He has been spotted among the Barmy Army for many of England's games at home and overseas, after making his first appearance in 1998. While he has appeared less often on tour in recent years, he did make the trip to Australia for the Ashes at the end of last year. More than an informal group, the Barmy Army is a well-organised business, and the official supporters' club for the England cricket side. It offers tickets, travel packages and merchandise in its effort to supply every England match with a good atmosphere. In response to Mr Flowers' announcement, it issued a statement that read: 'We wish to be clear that the individual referred to in recent media coverage, in connection with his candidacy for Reform UK at a local election, is not an active member of the Barmy Army, nor is he employed by, or affiliated with, the Barmy Army in any official capacity.  Vic Flowers, who has been touted as the unofficial leader of the Barmy Army, announced he was standing as a Reform UK candidate in the upcoming local elections In response, the Barmy Army distances itself from Mr Flowers, and made clear his views did not represent those of the group The Barmy Army posted its statement on X on Monday afternoon 'Any views attributed to him do not reflect the views, values or position of the Barmy Army as an organisation or its wider support community. 'The Barmy Army does not endorse any political agenda, candidate or campaign, and remains entirely focused on supporting England cricket in a way that unites and celebrates our supporters.' Mr Flowers revealed he was standing for Reform UK in the Medlock Vale ward in east Manchester, which marks his first foray into politics. He formally unveiled his candidacy on St George's Day (April 23), with the red cross emblazoned on his outfit, hat and flag. Mr Flowers told the Manchester Evening News he had always been working-class, and did not usually vote, but that he now feels compelled to try to make change. He said he was motivated by seeing so many people 'fed up', as well as an attraction to Farage. Mr Flowers said of the Reform leader: 'He is quite a good leader, and, just like in The Barmy Army, you must have a leader, a good leader. Farage is cut out for that. I'll follow him... 'Since Margaret Thatcher we have not had anything like a leader in this country, and I think that is what is needed, leadership.' He added that he believes a vote for him would be a 'protest vote', but that Reform could offer the area 'a bit of honesty'. Mr Flowers, who grew up on Ashton Road in Medlock Vale, attended a now-closed secondary modern school before becoming a joiner and carpenter, and now lives alone in Hathershaw.  He said he is 'very patriotic', and rings the bells in Oldham Parish Church every Sunday. Reform UK has been approached for comment. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.