Twelve councillors have announced they will resign in protest against Nigel Farage, branding the party leader "disloyal" and "autocratic".

The resignations would add to pressure on the former UKIP leader after tech billionaire Elon Musk said the Clacton MP was "not up to the job".

It comes as splits have emerged in the party after Mr Musk voiced his support for jailed far-Right activist Tommy Robinson.

The councillors who say they will jump ship hold two district council seats, nine town council seats and five parish council seats between them, reported .

All are from Derbyshire and include Alex Stephenson, who came second in Amber Valley during the General Election with 28% of the vote.

In a statement, the councillors reportedly said they could not continue "in good conscience" under Mr Farage's leadership.

They added: "We believe that the current party management is either incompetent or malevolent, and we have lost all confidence in the leadership and its structures."

They cited a lack of internal democracy, claiming a new constitution adopted by Reform UK at its annual conference was flawed.

They believe there has been no progress towards Mr Farage's promise to democratise the party, which was set up as a company in which he holds a controlling stake.

The councillors voiced their support for former joint deputy leader Ben Habib, whom they said had been "unceremoniously dumped".

They added that he was the man who "truly represents the vision and values that drew us to Reform UK".

Mr Farage launched a blistering attack on Mr Habib on Tuesday, warning him that he has got "too big for his boots".

When asked on LBC how much of a loss Mr Habib was, Mr Farage brutally responded: "None whatsover."

He added: "I appointed logically as deputy leader and Mr Habib did not like that and has fought against us ever since. Sometimes people get too big for their own boots."

: "Unless and until there is a democratisation of the party, with checks and balances brought into place, a broader team of people created, Reform UK is only . That is the beginning and end and all of it, frankly.

"If there was a mechanism by which leadership could change then Rupert Lowe