Reform UK
Reform UK is a right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. Founded in November 2018 as the Brexit Party, advocating a no-deal Brexit, it won the 2019 European Parliament election in the UK, but did not win any seats at the 2019 general election. The UK withdrew from the European Union (EU) in January 2020. A year later, in January 2021, the party was renamed Reform UK.[8] During the COVID-19 pandemic the party advocated against further lockdowns. Since 2022, it has campaigned on a broader platform, in particular pledging to reduce net migration, supporting low taxation, and opposing the government's net-zero energy policy.[9][10][11] Following Nigel Farage's resumption of the party leadership in early June during the 2024 general election campaign, opinion pollsters and analysts reported an increase in support for the party.
Reform UK
- Nigel Farage
- Catherine Blaiklock
23 November 2018 as the Brexit Party
83 Victoria Street
London
SW1 0HW[1]
Reform UK Scotland
Reform UK Wales
Reform Derby[5]
Bolton for Change[6]
Turquoise and white
Britain Needs Reform
Farage had been the leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP), a right-wing populist and Eurosceptic party, in the first half of the 2010s, and returned to frontline politics as leader of the Brexit Party during the Brexit process after the 2016 EU membership referendum, which had been called partly in response to UKIP's influence.[12][13] The party won 29 seats at the May 2019 European Parliament election, which was the best result for any single party in the 9th European Parliament.
The Brexit Party campaigned for a no-deal Brexit and there were high-profile defections to it from the Conservative Party, including Ann Widdecombe and Annunziata Rees-Mogg.[14] Following Boris Johnson's election as the leader of the Conservative Party, Farage offered him an electoral pact at the 2019 general election, which Johnson rejected, but the Brexit Party decided unilaterally not to stand candidates against sitting Conservative MPs.
By May 2020, the British exit from the EU having taken place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy and a name change from Brexit Party to Reform Party was proposed.[15][16][17] The COVID-19 pandemic began in the UK in 2020, and the Conservative government imposed a series of national lockdowns. Farage rebranded the party as Reform UK around the end of the year and focussed on anti-lockdown campaigning.[18][19] Farage stepped down as leader in March 2021 and was succeeded by Richard Tice. In March 2024, Lee Anderson, who was elected in 2019 as a Conservative MP, defected to Reform UK, becoming the party's first and only MP.[20] On 3 June 2024, Richard Tice announced that Nigel Farage would become leader once more, with Tice continuing as Chairman.[21]
History
Brexit Party
The incorporation of the Brexit Party Limited in November 2018[22] was formally announced on 20 January 2019 by former UKIP economics spokesperson[23] Catherine Blaiklock, who served as the party's initial leader.[24] On 5 February 2019, it was registered with the United Kingdom Electoral Commission to run candidates in any English, Scottish, Welsh and European Union elections.[25]
On the day of the announcement, Nigel Farage, who had been an independent MEP since his departure from UKIP in early December 2018, said that the party was Blaiklock's idea, but that she had acted with his full support.[24] In a 24 January 2019 interview, Blaiklock said: "I won't run it without Nigel [Farage], I'm a nobody and I haven't got any ego to say that I am an anybody", and that: "I'm happy to facilitate Nigel and do the donkey work and work for him, but I don't have any illusions as to myself".[26] On 8 February 2019, Farage stated he would stand as a candidate for the party in any potential future European Parliament elections contested in the United Kingdom.[27][28] MEPs Steven Woolfe and Nathan Gill, also formerly of UKIP, stated that they would also stand for the party,[29][30] though Woolfe was subsequently not permitted to do so.[31]
On 1 February 2019, Blaiklock told The Daily Telegraph the party had raised £1 million in donations, and that over 200 people had come forward offering to stand for the Brexit Party at the May 2019 European Parliament election, if the United Kingdom had not left the European Union by then.[32]
Representation
House of Commons
Reform UK have not won any parliamentary elections. However, Lee Anderson, elected as a Conservative Party MP in the 2019 UK general election, defected to Reform UK in March 2024, giving the party its first MP.[88]
European Parliament
In February 2019, nine MEPs who had left UKIP in opposition to Gerard Batten's leadership joined the party,[29] and by mid-April 2019 the number had increased to 14. They were all members of the Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy (EFDD) group in the European Parliament.[89]
Funding and structure
In its early days, The Brexit Party officially had three members, who were Farage, Tracey Knowles and Mehrtash A’Zami. The party opted for signing up registered supporters rather than members. The party structure was criticised for not providing the party's over 115,000 paying registered supporters[138] with any voting power to influence party policy;[139] Farage retained a high level of control over decision-making, including hand-picking candidates himself.[139][140] Since 2021, the party has options to become a member, rather than a supporter.[141]
Farage has said the party would largely be funded by small donations and that they raised "£750,000 in donations online, all in small sums of less than £500" in their first ten days. The party also accepts large donations.[142] He further said that the party would not be taking money from the key former UKIP funder Arron Banks.[36][143] Farage personally faced questions during the 2019 electoral campaign after Channel 4 News revealed undeclared travel and accommodation benefits provided by Banks before Farage joined the Brexit Party, and on 21 May 2019 the European Parliament formally opened an investigation.[144] In response to the reporting, the Brexit Party banned Channel 4 News from its events.[145]
In 2019, £6.4m was donated to the party by Christopher Harborne.[146] and £200,000 by Jeremy Hosking, a former donor to the Conservative Party.[142] 2023 donations included £200,000 from Terence Mordaunt's company First Corporate Consultants Ltd, £15,000 from Jeremy Hosking, and £10,000 from Crispin Odey.[147]
Two days before the 2019 European election, Farage accused the Electoral Commission of "interfering in the electoral process" after the independent watchdog visited the Brexit Party headquarters for "active oversight and regulation" of party funding.[148] Official donations of £500 or more must be given by a "permissible donor", who should either be somebody listed on the British electoral roll or a business registered at Companies House and operating in Britain. When asked if the party took donations in foreign currency, Farage replied: "Absolutely not, we only take sterling – end of conversation." Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell called for "a full and open and transparent, independent inquiry into the funding of Mr Farage".[149] In a press release on 12 July 2019 the Electoral Commission reported that following its visit, it made recommendations to the party for more robust internal controls on permissible donations, as those in place had not been adequate, and that the party had returned a donation of £1,000 whose source could not be identified as acceptable.[150]
Reform UK Party Ltd. has fifteen shares. Farage owns eight of these, giving him a controlling majority. The other shareholders are Tice, who holds five, and Chief Executive Paul Oakden and Party Treasurer Mehrtahs A'Zami who each hold one share.[151]
In May 2024, The Guardian said that 80% of the party's funding, in loans and donations, came from Tice. It reported Tice as saying that the Conservatives spend £35 million annually, while Reform spends less than £1.5 million.[152]
During the week following the 3 June 2024 announcement of Farage's resumption of party leadership, ITV News reported that party membership increased by 50% to 45,000.[153]
Leadership
Leaders
Reform UK has had three leaders. Catherine Blaiklock was its first leader and served from 20 January 2019 to 20 March 2019, before resigning as party leader due to anti-Islam messages she posted on her Twitter account before she took on the role.[154] Richard Tice took on the role following the resignation of Nigel Farage.[155] On 3 June 2024 it was announced that Tice had invited Farage to return as leader, an offer Farage accepted.
