Chris Mason: Reform UK Faces Headwinds as It Gathers for Conference

Reform UK enters its annual conference in Birmingham larger than it was a year ago, with more representatives at Westminster, Holyrood, the Senedd and local authorities. Yet the party arrives under pressure, much of it tied to money.

A £5 million gift to Nigel Farage from Christopher Harborne, a Thailand-based British billionaire, has prompted a long-running dispute over whether Farage should have declared it after becoming an MP. The Metropolitan Police is also investigating donations to Reform during the last general election campaign. Reform says it takes pride in its “stringent vetting of donations.”

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It takes pride in its stringent vetting of donations.

The mood differs from last year, when Reform gathered at the same West Midlands venue as an insurgent force generating attention and momentum. That momentum helped accelerate the end of Sir Keir Starmer’s time as prime minister, because the prospect of a Reform government alarmed Labour. Labour ultimately decided Starmer would hinder its efforts against Farage, and he left office.

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The establishment, in a very coordinated way, is fighting back.

The political balance has since shifted. With Starmer gone and Andy Burnham in his place, there are early signs that Labour is recovering some support. Reform no longer leads comfortably in every opinion poll, and in some polls it does not lead at all. Kemi Badenoch has become a more confident and visible Conservative leader, while Restore Britain, founded by former Reform MP Rupert Lowe, has also risen. The SNP and Plaid Cymru defeated Reform in the devolved elections in Scotland and Wales.

Farage remains a candidate for prime minister, and his senior colleagues aspire to the country’s highest offices. In an interview at Reform headquarters, he said the party had acted properly over the donation and police investigation. He described the scrutiny as “the establishment, in a very coordinated way, fighting back.” When challenged that this sounded conspiratorial, he replied, “When you read in the newspaper you’re under investigation, and you don’t even know a complaint’s been made, you can see the degree of collusion that has gone on between interested parties. This will not stop. They will continually tr...”

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When you read in the newspaper you’re under investigation, and you don’t even know a complaint’s been made, you can see the degree of collusion that has gone on between interested parties. This will not stop. They will continually tr...