Reform UK

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Reform UK
Party leader Nigel Farage
Parliamentary leader
Founded 2019 (as the Brexit Party)
Headquarters
Political ideology Anti-establishment
Conservatism
Economic liberalism
Euroskepticism
Populism
Political position Centre-right to right-wing
International affiliation none
Color(s) Turquoise and white
Website

Reform UK is a conservative and populist political party in the United Kingdom. It was established as the Brexit Party in 2019, with the aim of achieving Brexit and securing UK independence from the European Union. It now focuses on issues such as constitutional reform, including reform of the UK's undemocratic first-past-the-post electoral system, and reducing immigration. It is led by co-founder Nigel Farage, who led the party from its inception in 2019 until March 2021, and again since 3 June 2024.

The party gained its first Member of Parliament in 2024 when Lee Anderson, MP for Ashfield in Nottinghamshire, defected from the Tories. Lee Anderson would regain his seat at the 2024 UK general election, at which 5 Reform UK MPs were elected, includiong Nigel Farage as MP for Clacton in Essex.

History

The Brexit Party was founded in April 2019,[1] and it grew very quickly.[2] In May 2019, it received four members in the Welsh parliament after several Assembly Members defected from their respective parties,[3] and it also received Labour Party defectors.[4] Even members of the Liberal Democrats left to join the Brexit Party.[5] In five weeks of its creation, the Brexit Party's membership surpassed 100,000.[6] In the May 2019 European Parliament elections, the party performed strongly, winning the most votes of any party.[7] Later in the year, the party began taking over local town councils.[8]

In an IpsosMORI poll in October 2019, the Brexit Party was found to be "on the side of the British people" more than other parties in the eyes of the British public.[9]

On November 11, 2019, Farage announced the Brexit Party would not contest seats won by the Conservative Party in 2017, in an effort to not divide the pro-Brexit vote in the December snap election.[10] The party did not win any seats in the election, but it did help the Conservative Party take Labour-held seats by acting as a spoiler, and Farage's one-way cooperation with the Conservative Party helped the latter win additional seats.[11]

After the UK left the EU on January 31, 2020, it was proposed that the Brexit Party change their name. In October 2020, Farage had applied to the Electoral Commission to rebrand the Brexit Party as Reform UK. He stated the party would now campaign on opposing COVID-19 restrictions.

Farage stood down as leader in 2021 and he was replaced by Richard Tice.

The party gained its first member of the UK Parliament in early 2024, when the Euroskeptic Lee Anderson of Ashfield in Nottinghamshire defected from the Tories.

Nigel Farage made a surprise return as party leader in early June 2024, with him also announcing that he was standing for Parliament in the constituency of Clacton in Essex. One of the most Brexit-supporting constituencies in the UK, the Tories won more than 70% of the vote in Clacton in 2019, and is also one of the few constituencies in the UK to have been represented by UKIP, with Douglas Carswell holding the seat between 2014 and 2017.

Political positions

In addition to supporting a clean exit from the European Union and restoring UK sovereignty, the Brexit Party supports protecting "free individuals, families and businesses from excessive government interference", as well as reforming the voting system, cutting VAT on fuel, scrapping the proposed HS2 railway and abolishing the House of Lords, television licence fee, postal voting, the inheritance tax and waste exportation. They also support ending all privatisation of the NHS, abolishing student loan interest and providing free broadband in deprived areas.[12] The party's beliefs are inspired by Athenian democracy.[13] Besides supporting a clean Brexit, the party takes conservative and populist positions,[14] including reducing immigration levels.[15]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Multiple references: See also:
  2. ↑ Walker, Peter (May 15, 2019). Has the rise of the Brexit party blown away Ukip? The Guardian. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  3. ↑ Markham, Joe (May 16, 2019). Brexit Party Secure Four Members of Welsh Assembly in Mass Defection. Breitbart News. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  4. ↑ Friedman, Victoria (July 5, 2019). Local Labour Politicians Defect to Brexit Party as Labour Slumps in Polls. Breitbart News. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  5. ↑ Friedman, Victoria (July 11, 2019). Liberal Democrat Councillor Defects to Brexit Party. Breitbart News. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  6. ↑ Montgomery, Jack (May 16, 2019). Farage’s Brexit Party Smashes 100,000 Registered Supporters Target, Aims to Pass Tory Party. Breitbart News. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  7. ↑ Multiple references: See also: The Brexit Party's debut in the European Parliament:
  8. ↑ Brexit Party pact with Tories takes over Hartlepool Council. BBC News. September 13, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  9. ↑ Friedman, Victoria (October 9, 2019). Brexit Party Tops Poll in Most Trusted to Be on Side of British People. Breitbart News. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
  10. ↑ Multiple references: See also
  11. ↑ Multiple references: See also:
  12. ↑ McTague, Tom (May 18, 2019). Nigel Farage’s startup politics. Politico. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
  13. ↑ Lane, Oliver JJ (September 29, 2019). Lane: Brexit Party Embraces Populism Label With Nod to Ancient Athenian Democracy. Breitbart News. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
  14. ↑ Multiple references: See also:
  15. ↑ Gallardo, Cristina (November 22, 2019). Brexit Party calls for drastic cut to net migration to the UK. Politico. Retrieved November 22, 2019.

External links

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