Dame Andrea Jenkyns stormed out of a TV interview on Friday as she was grilled over comments she made about a rival candidate after becoming Reform’s first directly-elected mayor.
The new Greater Lincolnshire mayor claimed there would be "an end to soft touch Britain" after Nigel Farage’s party made significant gains in the polls across England.
She called for migrants in Britain to housed in tents instead of hotels.
However, the former Tory minister later stormed out of an interview with Sky News after accusing the broadcaster of “divisive questioning”.
"The fightback to save the heart and soul of our great country has now begun,” she said.
"Now that Reform is in a place of power, we can help start rebuilding Britain. Inch by inch, Reform will reset Britain to its glorious past.
"We will tackle illegal migration. We've been working on policies.
"I say no to putting people in hotels. Tents are good enough for France, they should be good enough for here in Britain."
Jenkyns was later quizzed over a comment about a rival candidate’s accent during a her acceptance speech.
She said it was “ironic” a candidate with a South African accent had accused her of being “parachuted in” to the Greater Lincolnshire seat.
In remarks after her victory she also took aim at what she described as a “soul destroying” campaign against her during the election race and accused rivals of “dirty tricks”.
“I’m not even going to answer your questions,” she told Sky News when asked about her comments. She added: “Do you not understand irony?”
Jenkyns enjoyed a comfortable victory for the brand new Greater Lincolnshire mayor position, winning 42% of the vote, well ahead of the Conservatives in second place on 26.1%.
Labour finished a distant third on 12.3%.
The result suggested that Farage’s party are likely to do well in the separate elections for Lincolnshire county council, which were still being counted and expected to be declared later on Friday.
Sir Keir Starmer conceded Labour's loss by just six votes to Reform UK in the Runcorn and Helsby by-election was "disappointing" and insisted he was determined to go "further and faster" in delivering change.
Reform's victory set a new record for the smallest majority at a parliamentary by-election since the end of the Second World War. At the general election less than 12 months ago Labour had one a landslide victory in the seat.
Labour said by-elections are "always difficult for the party in government", and the events surrounding the Runcorn and Helsby vote, called after Mike Amesbury quit following his conviction for punching a constituent, made it "even harder".
Party chairwoman Ellie Reeves acknowledged voters were "impatient", but insisted "change takes time". She suggested Reform would face greater scrutiny after its electoral gains.
"We've had to stabilise the economy, but we're starting that work. We've got our Plan for Change, we're beginning to see the results of this, but we know we need to go further and faster," she told Times Radio.
