Paul Mills

Key Facts#

Role & Authority: Reform UK's South West Regional Director#

As Regional Director for the South West, Mills holds significant structural power over Reform UK's Cornish organisation. He is the interface between the party's national leadership in London and the local branches and county organisers on the ground in Cornwall and Devon. Directives flow downward through the chain — from Nigel Farage and Zia Yusuf through national campaign managers Graham Young and Adam Bounds to regional directors like Mills, who then pass instructions to county organisers and branch chairs.

Crucially, Mills is the sole appointing authority for branch chairmen in non-fully-constituted branches under the party's branch rules. This rule is the source of his most controversial intervention in Cornwall:

A branch is not fully constituted until it proves it is fully functional. During this period, only the Regional Director can appoint the branch chairman. Once fully constituted, the branch must hold a Special General Meeting at which members elect the chairman and committee.— Reform UK branch constitution rule

The rule is consequential because it gives the Regional Director the power to install branch chairs without member input for as long as the branch remains classified as “not fully constituted” — a classification the party itself controls.

The Camborne, Redruth & Hayle Branch Appointment Controversy#

November 2025

In November 2025, Mills appointed Nathan Michell as chairman of the Camborne, Redruth & Hayle (CRH) branch — a decision that triggered a wave of member complaints, anonymous briefings to the press, and contributed to the broader collapse of Reform UK Cornwall. Members objected that Michell was "unknown and unelected" and had been parachuted in without a vote. Mills's authority to make the appointment derived from the party's branch constitution rule, which gives Regional Directors sole appointing power over branches that are not yet fully functional.

Member objection

“There have been multiple protests by the branch members around the removal of our popular and successful previous chairman, and the parachuting in of an unknown and unelected person without an extraordinary general meeting or annual general meeting which would have allowed a democratic vote.”— Anonymous Reform CRH branch member, Cornwall Live, November 2025

Reform UK's defence

“The Camborne, Redruth and Hayle (CRH) branch is not a fully constituted branch. As per the branch rules, this means that only the regional director (Paul Mills) can appoint a branch chairman. The CRH branch will become fully constituted once it proves it is fully functional as a branch, as is the standard process for the formation of all Reform UK branches across the country.”— Reform UK national spokesperson, November 2025

The Curtis Mellows Bullying Complaints#

Curtis Mellows — then chair of the Reform UK South East Cornwall branch and later suspended from the party — made formal bullying complaints about fellow Reform members in Cornwall to party officials. Mellows said these complaints were not dealt with by regional or national figures, and specifically named the regional office as having received them. He was subsequently suspended from the party after making allegedly offensive comments about Prince Harry on social media. As Regional Director for the South West, Mills was the regional authority to whom complaints from a Cornish branch chair would have been escalated.

“I wouldn't let the bullying drop and I kept on and on and on about it. They've obviously decided to get rid of me, which is fine.”— Curtis Mellows, The Guardian, November 2025

Kenold Limited & the Hole Farm Holiday Business#

Mills is the director and Person with Significant Control of Kenold Limited (Co. No. 06213921), incorporated in April 2007. The company operates a self-catering holiday-letting business at Hole Farm, Black Torrington, Devon — a Grade II* Listed medieval longhouse with two converted units, the Milking Parlour and the Threshing Barn. The business is publicly marketed via the Milking Parlour Hole Facebook page and the self-cateringindevon.co.uk directory.

Image from the public Milking Parlour Hole Facebook page promoting the holiday-letting business.

Why this matters

• •Mills operates a commercial holiday-letting business in his South West regional remit. Tourism and short-let regulation are live policy issues across Cornwall and Devon.
• •As Regional Director, Mills shapes Reform UK's political positioning on planning, licensing and tourism in the same region where his own business operates.
• •This is a declared public commercial interest — flagged here for transparency, not as evidence of wrongdoing.

Companies House appointments

Connections#

As Regional Director, Mills sits at the centre of the Cornish Reform UK web. The Cornwall collapse — at least eight elected councillors lost in twelve months — happened on his watch.

Timeline#

Frequently asked questions#

Who is Paul Mills?

Paul Mills is Reform UK's Regional Director for the South West of England, covering Cornwall and Devon. He is a party official, not an elected councillor, and is based in Black Torrington, Devon, where he runs a holiday-letting business (Kenold Limited) at Hole Farm.

Is Paul Mills a Cornwall councillor?

No. Paul Mills has never been elected to public office in Cornwall. He is a Reform UK party official based in Devon, who directs Reform UK's Cornwall operations as part of his South West regional remit. He is not a member of Cornwall Council.

Where is Paul Mills based?

Paul Mills lives in Black Torrington, Devon. He is the director and Person with Significant Control of Kenold Limited (Companies House number 06213921), which operates a self-catering holiday-letting business at Hole Farm, Black Torrington — a Grade II* Listed medieval Devon longhouse with two converted units, the Milking Parlour and the Threshing Barn.

What is Kenold Limited?

Kenold Limited (Companies House number 06213921) is the holding company Paul Mills incorporated in April 2007 to operate a self-catering holiday-letting business at Hole Farm, Black Torrington, Devon. The business is publicly marketed via the Milking Parlour Hole Facebook page and the self-cateringindevon.co.uk directory. Most recent accounts were filed as dormant.

Who does Paul Mills report to in Reform UK?

As Regional Director for the South West, Paul Mills sits below the party's national leadership (Nigel Farage, Zia Yusuf) and national campaign managers (Graham Young, Adam Bounds), and above county organisers and branch chairmen in Cornwall and Devon. He is the sole appointing authority for branch chairmen in non-fully-constituted Reform UK branches in his region.

Sources & Methodology#

This investigation draws on publicly available records: Companies House filings, Cornwall Live, The Guardian, BBC News, Hello Rayo, and the publicly accessible Milking Parlour Hole Facebook page. No private or restricted databases were accessed. Where Mills has not publicly responded, we have flagged that fact.