“How about Booing?”: The Reform UK Party Conference
Many are saying it’s time to take them more seriously, but that’s proving awfully difficult.
Earlier this week, Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage was accused of being a “Putin-loving free speech impostor” and a “Trump sycophant” by Democrats at a US Congressional Hearing on free speech and online regulation. He missed PMQs to testify as a critic of Britain’s Online Safety Act, framing it as “authoritarian”.
It was Maryland Democrat, Jamie Raskin, who accused Farage as being a Putin/Trump-stooge, but other dems were equally vicious. Hank Johnson accused the MP for Clacton as trying to get in with the “tech bros” and speculated that Reform require funding from Elon Musk. Another asked why, on the topic of free speech, journalists from hostile publications had been banned from Reform events.
Farage received some stick from the other side of the Atlantic, too, with Lib Dem leader Ed Davey posting on X: “Farage has gone to the US to tell them Britain is ”awful” – If you don’t like it over here Nigel maybe don’t catch a return flight?”
Much to the dismay of many, Nigel did catch a return flight - just in time for day one of the Reform UK party conference, titled The Next Step.
12,000 people were rumoured to be in attendance, and witnessed Farage take to the stage in a turquoise suit, some three hours ahead of schedule in order to pounce on the breaking news of Angela Rayner’s resignation.
He used the MP for Ashton-under-Lyne’s departure as Deputy PM and Housing Secretary as a muse to announce that Britain is about to witness a “rift in the Labour Party”, similar to the fractures we have seen in the Conservative Party in recent years, and went on to say that “this government deep in crisis.”
His overall message was simple — “get ready”.
Farage speculated that despite the likelihood of the next general election coming in 2029, he believes there is “every chance” that we could be looking at one as early as 2027, due to the anticipated rifts within Labour, and the rise of Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana’s new party.
The Defectors
During his speech, Farage introduced the latest Tory defector, Nadine Dorries, who ironically was one of the architects of the Online Safety Act that Reform UK have been so adamant on dismantling. It appeared the main focus of her speech was poaching more potential defectors, specifically in a voting capacity, stating that the Conservatives “do not deserve your loyalty.”
She joins a group of former Tories which is only increasing in size. In attendance at the conference were former MPs, Lee Anderson, Ann Widdecombe, Marco Longhi, Adam Holloway, and former Conservative Party chair, Jake Berry, who made a point of stating that Reform is “not the Conservative Party 2.0.”
Channel 4’s Paul McNamara spotted former Tory MP and current mayor of Kidsgrove, Jonathan Gullis, who was quick to stress he was at the conference in a “civilian capacity.”
McNamara later asked Farage himself how many more Tories we could expect to see joining Reform. “We’re happy with Nadine for today and we’ll see what happens,” Farage replied, “but it feels to me like they’re collapsing.”
Joe Pike of the BBC reports that a further three Conservative MPs are actually in talks to join Reform.
Is it time to take them more seriously?
Aside from Dorries, another high-profile Tory defector is Andrea Jenkyns, who joined Reform in 2024 after losing her seat to Labour in the most recent general election. She was elected Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire in May as a Reform candidate.
Known for her controversial opinions and odd behaviour, Jenkyns entered the Reform Party Conference in bizarre fashion. Dressed in a blue sequin jumpsuit, she pranced onto the stage singing a song she wrote herself titled ‘Insomniac’.
She used the song to complain of sleepless nights and insomnia, not due to her inhumane voting record or denial of climate change, but due to this “godawful Labour government.”
On the topic of transport funding, Jenkyns accused the government of directing expenditure Labour mayors only, and was met with an awkward silence. She frantically pleaded with the crowd to boo, before chuckling nervously.
Due to their membership surge reaching 240,000, it may well be time to take Reform UK seriously, but while ever Andrea Jenkyns is undermining the party’s “prospective government” narrative by putting on those cringeworthy performances, it’s proving awfully difficult.