Communications agency PLMR has appointed Kirsty Walmsley, a former senior official at Reform UK, as an adviser to help clients navigate the party as it develops its policy platform and prepares for May's local and devolved elections. The hire reflects a broader shift in attitudes towards Reform. Once a party that was dismissed by the Westminster political machine, is quietly becoming part of it. Walmsley spent four years at Reform UK between 2021 and 2025, serving as head of candidates before becoming national campaign director for Wales, where she oversaw preparations for the Senedd elections. She also sat on the party's Education Policy Development Group. "With the party already in control of numerous local and combined authorities - and tipped to make significant gains at May's devolved and local elections - it is important that organisations understand the party and the direction it is headed in," said Simon Darby, head of public affairs at PLMR. The appointment lands at a telling moment. Just recently, Reform hosted a drinks reception with public affairs and communications professionals in their Millbank HQ. It was the latest indication that the party is actively courting the lobbying industry it once regarded with suspicion. That shift has been building for months. At Reform's annual conference in Birmingham last September commercial exhibitors and public affairs professionals were a noticeable presence. A survey by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations found that one in five public affairs professionals planned to attend, double the figure from the previous year and enough to push the Liberal Democrats into fourth place on the conference circuit. Major lobby groups including the CBI, FSB and the IoD were among those represented. One source from Reform said that PA and PR professionals expressed 'surprise' after they began receiving invitations to Reform UK events - claiming that no other parties had reached out before. It is clear that the Party has capitalised on this momentum, and have expanded their network of PA professionals considerably. The party's growing local government footprint is a key driver of this interest. Reform now has outright control of 10 local councils, giving businesses concrete, practical reasons to build relationships with the party beyond Westminster speculation about its longer-term electoral trajectory. A PubAffairs guide published this year, 'Engaging with Reform UK in 2026', captures the mood of the industry. It frames Reform's "transition from protest party to governing force" as something that is "reshaping the UK political landscape at pace," arguing that for businesses, the question is no longer whether to engage with the party, but how and when. Walmsley's appointment at PLMR - which also has offices in the Midlands and Ipswich - is a concrete answer to that question. For a party that built its brand on hostility to political insiders, hiring them out to advise corporate clients is a significant evolution. For the public affairs industry, it is confirmation that Reform has moved from curiosity to reality....