Reform UK: officials, incidents and party record

Reform UK, also known as the Reform Party, is a right-wing populist and far-right political party in the United Kingdom, founded by Nigel Farage and Catherine Blaiklock on 23 November 2018 as the Brex

Leader: Nigel Farage

Founded: 2018

Headquarters: Millbank Tower, 21–24 Millbank, London SW1P 4QP

Ideology: Right-wing populism, Hard Euroscepticism

Position: Right-wing to far-right

Membership: 268,000 (December 2025)

Website: https://www.reformparty.uk/

Reform UK, also known as the Reform Party, is a right-wing populist and far-right political party in the United Kingdom, founded by Nigel Farage and Catherine Blaiklock on 23 November 2018 as the Brexit Party and renamed Reform UK in January 2021. Nigel Farage has been leader since June 2024, with Richard Tice as Deputy Leader and Lee Anderson as Chairman. Positioned to the right of the Conservative Party, it advocates right-wing populism and hard Euroscepticism under the slogan "Britain is broken. Britain needs Reform." The party has eight MPs in the House of Commons, seventeen members of the Scottish Parliament, thirty-four members of the Senedd, two members of the London Assembly, two directly elected mayors and two police and crime commissioners, and around 2,330 local councillors, controlling thirty-five councils. Its membership stood at 268,000 in December 2025, and it is governed by the Reform UK Board from its headquarters at Millbank Tower in London.

Reform UK policy documents

Tracked Reform UK representatives (2157)

Recorded party incidents (showing 201-250 of 423)

Dan Thomas's explanation for staying on as a London councillor after moving away did not stand up to scrutiny

Category: ethics violation

Location: Barnet, London / Wales

Dan Thomas told colleagues in the summer of 2024 that he was moving away from Barnet, but did not resign his Finchley Church End council seat until December 2025, having defected from the Conservatives to Reform UK in mid-2025. He said he had been asked to stay on to avoid "an expensive and disruptive by-election" costing taxpayers around £30,000. Reporting published on 24 March 2026 found that explanation did not stack up, noting that he continued to draw the position while living outside London. In February 2026, after reports that he had bought a house near Bath, Thomas said he had "a property portfolio" but was "living and have been living in Wales", and described the reports as "smear attempts from the Welsh establishment". Candidates must live in Wales to stand for the Senedd. BBC Wales reported that one of his properties is in Bath.

Recorded incident

Category: inappropriate behaviour

Location: Portman Road, Ipswich, Suffolk

Nigel Farage visited Ipswich Town's Portman Road stadium and posed for photographs with a personalised Ipswich shirt both pitchside and in the home dressing room. Reform UK used images and footage from the visit on social media, and the club has said the visit did not follow an official invitation and that it “remains apolitical”. Ipswich Town Supporters' Club collated fans' concerns and passed them to the club, and the club's chair and chief executive, Mark Ashton, issued an apology, saying “I unreservedly apologise for any hurt, pain or distress that’s been caused.” The full board has said it will review how the club engages with local politicians and political parties moving forward.

Recorded incident

Category: intimidation bullying

Location: London

Reform UK's manifesto proposes to "Launch an Anti-Corruption Unit for Westminster", stating that "We will ensure that public officials face sanctions if they break the rules, including prison. Our new Anti-Corruption Unit will have legal powers to investigate past and future scandals." Critics have described the proposal as part of what they characterise as Nigel Farage's intimidation strategy, arguing that granting broad investigatory and sanctioning powers risks being used against political opponents rather than solely to uphold standards. These points are drawn from the manifesto wording provided and reflect both the party's stated intentions and the criticism directed at the proposal.

LSE study found seven of nine Reform-led councils had scrapped climate targets

Category: misinformation

A study by the LSE's Grantham Research Institute found seven of nine Reform-led councils had scrapped climate targets since 2025, three had rescinded climate emergency declarations, and councillors in five had expressed denial of climate science. Reform councillors said they were ending 'virtue signalling'.

Sources: https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/news/7-out-of-9-reform-led-councils-have-scrapped-climate-targets-study-finds/

Pochin joked about a "Reform tartan burqa" at the party's Scottish conference

Category: discriminatory remark

Location: Renfrewshire, Scotland

At Reform UK's Scottish conference in Renfrewshire on 19 March 2026, after her autocue froze, Sarah Pochin told the audience: "I really wanted to come on in a Reform tartan burqa, but apparently I just wasn't allowed. One day, let's have one of these events that aren't livestreamed. We'll do all the naughty stuff." Labour said it had taken less than 30 seconds for her to start making jokes about Muslims, while Reform's Scottish leader Malcolm Offord called the remark "completely harmless". In the same speech she claimed she had been "virtually strip-searched" at London City Airport, saying "they knew who I was, they wanted me to react", and added that she could not wait for the police to arrest her "for talking about Islam".

Sources: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/reform-uk-sarah-pochin-tartan-burqa-b2942018.html https://news.sky.com/video/mp-jokes-she-wasnt-allowed-to-wear-reform-tartan-burka-at-event-13521973 https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/sarah-pochin-burqa-reform-uk-5HjdWYk_2/ https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/25954532.fighting-talk-i-spent-day-reform-uk-scottish-conference/

Recorded incident

Category: hate speech

Location: The UK

Nigel Farage sold paid-for videos on the personalised platform Cameo in which he endorsed a neo-Nazi event, repeated a motto associated with the UK far right and expressed support for a man convicted over his involvement in a far-right riot. The clips also included references to antisemitic conspiracy theories and misogynistic remarks about a US congresswoman. The reporting drew on an analysis of thousands of videos Farage made on Cameo since 2021 and noted he charged fees for many of the clips. A spokesperson for the Reform UK leader said Mr Farage records videos for genuine supporters and that “at that scale, the occasional mistake can occur”, adding the videos “should not be treated as political statements or campaign activity” and that he opposes extremism and political violence.

Pochin warned parents about a Scouts "Islamo-badge"

Category: discriminatory remark

Location: United Kingdom

In a Facebook Live in March 2026, Sarah Pochin attacked a Scouts activity badge tied to Islamophobia Awareness Month, whose suggested activities include learning about the five pillars of Islam or visiting a mosque. She said: "There is now a Scout's badge that you can earn by learning about Islam. That is frightening. And it should not be happening in our country," and told parents to "be wary" and to "be careful that they're not doing some kind of Islamo-badge thing". In the same video she claimed a government definition of anti-Muslim hostility would stop people criticising Islam and that no equivalent existed for Jewish people, both of which were disputed. Children learning about their neighbours' religion was presented as a threat to the country.

Sources: https://hopenothate.org.uk/2026/03/18/reform-watch-22/ https://www.thenewworld.co.uk/rats-in-a-sack-is-sarah-pochin-too-mad-even-for-reform/

Tice's offshore Jersey trust and his position that people should pay as little tax as legally possible

Category: financial conduct concern

A Mirror investigation published in August 2024 reported that Richard Tice set up a family trust in Jersey more than three decades ago and built an offshore-linked property portfolio. The Jersey trust later featured in reporting on dividends paid out by his property company Quidnet. In March 2026, after The Sunday Times reported that Quidnet had used real estate investment trust status to pay little or no corporation tax between 2018 and 2021, the Labour Party chair Anna Turley wrote to HMRC asking it to investigate. Tice said he had followed the rules. Asked around 16 March 2026 whether people should pay as little tax as legally possible, he said they should.

Sources: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/reform-uks-richard-tice-piled-33441470 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyz0ep9g8lo https://www.the-independent.com/news/uk/politics/richard-tice-tax-reform-uk-b2939600.html https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/reform-deputy-leader-richard-tice-tax-5r93t6dg8

Recorded incident

Category: financial conduct concern

Location: The UK

Reform UK has not provided the Electoral Commission with the public addresses of any digital cryptocurrency wallets used to receive donations, a shortfall the Commission says prevents independent verification of the origin and permissibility of those funds. The Electoral Commission has warned that crypto‑asset donations present particular challenges for identifying donors and has called for stronger legal powers to regulate such contributions. Investigations by national outlets found that Reform’s system involved converting cryptocurrency into cash through a third party before the party received the funds, a process the party says is subject to KYC and AML checks. Reform paused accepting crypto donations “out of an abundance of caution” while it reviews procedures, and the government has announced a ban on cryptocurrency donations alongside a new £100,000 annual cap on donations from overseas electors.

Recorded incident

Category: intimidation bullying

Location: Walsall

Councillor Graham Eardley was suspended from Reform UK with immediate effect on 2026-03-04, pending an internal investigation into an allegation that he acted aggressively towards a woman. It is claimed that a witness complaint said he acted so aggressively that security escorted him from the building; Councillor Eardley denies this account. A Reform UK spokesperson said he had been suspended pending investigation. Councillor Eardley posted on X that he first learned of the suspension via social media, said he had not approached the woman and alleged she had approached him, and declined to comment to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Joanne Blythe quit Reform UK citing a "toxic and poisonous culture"

Category: party management issue

Location: West Northamptonshire

Joanne Blythe was suspended pending investigation after indicating she intended to sit as an independent, and resigned from Reform UK in March 2026 alongside colleague Kathryn Shaw. Both councillors said they were leaving because of what they described as a "toxic and poisonous culture" within the party. She now sits as an independent on West Northamptonshire Council. Reform UK has not published a detailed response to the councillors' criticism.

Sources: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn0zy878vy7o

Recorded incident

Category: factual inaccuracy

Location: Gorton and Denton

Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, has reportedly faced criticism regarding his responses to electoral defeats, including the recent by-election in Gorton and Denton. Allegations have emerged that he has made unsubstantiated claims about rigged votes and sectarian cheating without providing evidence to support these assertions. Reports suggest that previous police investigations into similar claims have found no wrongdoing, and court challenges have been dropped. Questions have been raised about the accuracy of his statements and the narratives he promotes regarding voting rights and electoral integrity.

Kathryn Shaw resigned from Reform UK over party culture

Category: party management issue

Location: West Northamptonshire

Kathryn Shaw resigned from Reform UK in March 2026, less than a year after being elected, announcing the decision jointly with colleague Joanne Blythe. Both cited what they called a "toxic and poisonous culture" within the party. She continues to serve as an independent on West Northamptonshire Council. Reform UK has not published a detailed response to the claims.

Sources: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn0zy878vy7o

Recorded incident

Category: discriminatory remark

Location: Staffordshire, UK

Peter Mason, a candidate for Reform UK in the Staffordshire County Council elections, is reportedly facing scrutiny over his social media activity. Allegations have emerged suggesting that Mason shared content associated with white supremacy and made discriminatory remarks towards Muslims, including a post stating, "Muslims are like a virus that spreads and takes over everything it touches." This comment, which he later described as 'hyperbolic frustration', was deleted shortly after being posted. Following public backlash, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage announced Mason's suspension pending investigation, asserting that the party does not tolerate hate speech. This incident has raised questions about the vetting process for candidates within the party, particularly in light of Mason's previous controversial remarks about black women and the police, for which he has apologised. The situation has drawn attention to ongoing leadership instability within the local Reform UK party, which has seen multiple leadership changes in a short period.

Laila Cunningham failed to declare shareholding in a hotel in her own borough for nearly four years

Category: undisclosed interest

Location: Westminster, London

The Local Democracy Reporting Service found that Laila Cunningham had not declared her 5 per cent shareholding in Plaza Continental Hotels Limited, which owns a hotel in Bayswater, for almost the entire time she served as a Westminster City councillor. She added the interest to her register only after being contacted by reporters in February 2026. Under the Localism Act, elected members must disclose any beneficial interest in a business operating in their area within 28 days of taking office. Failure to do so can be a criminal offence carrying a fine of up to £5,000 and disqualification from office for five years. A spokesperson for Cunningham said she takes no benefit from the stake, which she said was gifted to her as a child, and that it therefore did not need to be declared. She denies any wrongdoing. Westminster City Council was understood to be looking into the matter.

Zia Yusuf blamed "low-trust societies" for immigration and pledged to block churches becoming mosques

Category: discriminatory remark

In interviews and a speech in February 2026, shortly after being made Reform UK's home affairs spokesman, Yusuf said Britain's high-trust society had been eroded "quite rapidly" because of "the vast numbers of people who have arrived over a short period of time from low-trust societies", adding that "some people might wince at that phrase, but it's just obviously true." He also pledged that a Reform government would use listing and planning powers to stop churches being converted into mosques, framing this as restoring Britain's Christian heritage, and backed reweighting the Prevent programme so that the bulk of its funding targets Islamist terrorism. Yusuf is himself a practising Muslim, and the remarks drew criticism for attributing dishonesty to whole nationalities.

Sources: https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/zia-yusuf-interview-christianity-reform-p6bmz0mth https://www.christiantoday.com/news/zia-yusuf-says-reform-would-protect-the-uk-s-christian-heritage

Lee Anderson calls protesters 'The Great Unwashed' and wagers many are on PIP

Category: discriminatory remark

In a post on X in late January 2026, Reform UK MP and the party's welfare spokesman Lee Anderson responded to a noisy protest outside a restaurant in Newcastle where Nigel Farage was dining, writing "The Great Unwashed. I’d wager half of them at least are on PIP." The comment was posted publicly on his X account while discussing the incident involving protesters. Anderson has served as Reform UK’s spokesman on welfare since September 2025. The remark targets disability benefit claimants and was made shortly before the Gorton and Denton by-election on 26 February 2026, where 10,036 people are recorded as receiving PIP. Reform’s candidate in that by-election, Matt Goodwin, has previously posted that many sickness benefit claimants are not genuinely sick.

Daniel Taylor jailed for controlling or coercive behaviour and lost council seat

Category: scandal

Location: Kent

Daniel Taylor was elected as the Reform UK councillor for Cliftonville in Kent in May 2025 and was suspended by the party soon afterwards amid misconduct allegations, after which he sat as an independent. In February 2026 he was sentenced to 12 months in prison after pleading guilty to controlling or coercive behaviour towards his wife. The sentence disqualified him from serving as a councillor and his seat was vacated. Reform UK had already withdrawn its support before the case concluded.

Sources: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c627ngz1k1eo

Peter Colley left Reform UK alleging abuse and mistreatment by party management

Category: intimidation bullying

Location: Hertfordshire

Peter Colley, elected as a Reform UK councillor for Bedwell in Hertfordshire in May 2025, resigned from the party in February 2026 and joined Restore Britain. He alleged "abuse and mistreatment" by Reform UK management. The allegations were reported locally and have not been independently established. Reform UK has not published a detailed response.

Sources: https://www.hemeltoday.co.uk/news/politics/reform-councillor-defects-to-restore-britain-in-hertfordshire-alleging-abuse-and-mistreatment-from-management-5604832

John Roddy defected to the Conservatives criticising Reform UK over council finances

Category: party management issue

Location: Warrington

John Roddy was elected as Warrington''s only Reform UK councillor in a by-election for the Bewsey and Whitecross ward in August 2025 and defected to the Conservatives in February 2026. He said Reform UK lacked focus on the council''s financial problems. Reform UK has not published a detailed response to his criticism.

Sources: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c309dg89grdo

Matthew Goodwin promoted Islamophobic and 'Great Replacement' claims

Category: xenophobia

In January 2026 and in earlier interviews and online posts, Matthew Goodwin, Reform UK candidate for the Gorton and Denton by-election, made a series of statements endorsing far-right ideas. On 30 January 2026 the far-right activist Tommy Robinson publicly urged supporters to vote for Goodwin and Goodwin did not immediately reject the endorsement; Goodwin has said that "millions of British Muslims... hold views that are fundamentally opposed to British values", called for a halt to Muslim immigration, and said 2063 is the year white Britons would become a minority. Reform UK said Robinson "isn't welcome in the party" and a party spokesperson defended the party's stance, while Labour chair Anna Turley publicly demanded Goodwin make clear whether he rejected Robinson's backing. HOPE not Hate director Joe Mulhall criticised Goodwin's shift to the right and described his remarks as extreme; Goodwin remains the Reform UK candidate in the Gorton and Denton by-election.

Tice pictured with 'Suck it up' T-shirt mocking Kent council row

Category: inappropriate behaviour

Location: Kent

On 29 January 2026 the BBC reported that Richard Tice had been pictured holding a T-shirt reading "Suck it up", accompanied by the name "Linden" and a kiss. The wording referred to leaked footage, reported in October 2025, in which the Reform leader of Kent County Council, Linden Kemkaran, told a colleague to "suck it up" during internal disputes at the authority. Several Reform councillors were suspended or expelled in the aftermath of the leak. An independent member of the council described Tice's gesture as "wholly unprofessional and degrading".

Sources: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0mkyxydzydo https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/oct/18/suck-it-up-leaked-video-exposes-bitter-infighting-at-reform-uks-flagship-kent-council https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgkenn4r15o

Lee Anderson ridicules Hope Not Hate job advert with demeaning remarks

Category: discriminatory remark

On 2026-01-25 Lee Anderson, Reform UK's Chief Whip, mocked a Hope Not Hate job advertisement for a researcher to monitor Reform UK. He used wording including "Ex-benefits scrounger with purple hair, multiple piercings and a hatred of everything British required", "Tell daily lies about the British people" and "Keep taking the tablets. We particularly welcome applications from lunatics." The comments referred directly to the charity's advert for a researcher to monitor the party and used language aimed at benefit recipients and people with mental health conditions. Anderson remains Reform UK's Chief Whip.

Robert Jenrick vows mass deportations and to scrap the ECHR

Category: xenophobia

On 23 January 2026 Robert Jenrick, a former Conservative immigration minister who had recently defected to Reform UK, said on the Daily Expresso show that a Reform government would deploy Royal Navy vessels in the English Channel to stop small boat crossings. He said the party would scrap the European Convention on Human Rights and carry out "deportations on a very big scale" to remove people in the UK without the right to live here. He also said Reform would set a legally binding cap on migration aiming for "net zero or lower". Jenrick said the measures would include detention and deportation back to a person’s own country or to a third country. He said he would establish a new borders department and described the Home Office as not fit for purpose. Jenrick made the remarks after joining Nigel Farage’s party and they set out policy positions he is promoting within Reform UK.

Pochin backed Donald Trump's pressure on Greenland

Category: other

Location: United Kingdom

Speaking on a Mike Graham livestream in January 2026, Sarah Pochin defended Donald Trump's threats over Greenland, saying he was "raising a really important issue, the security now of the High North" with "two hostile superpowers circling up there in the Arctic", and that he was "shining a light on this issue, quite rightly in Reform's view". She said tariffs were not necessarily the right method but that he was "going in there with both barrels". The remarks placed a sitting British MP behind a foreign leader's territorial pressure on a European ally, rather than behind Greenland's right to self-determination. She framed the position as Reform UK's, not merely her own.

Sources: https://leftfootforward.org/2026/01/reform-mp-sarah-pochin-sides-with-trump-on-greenland-dispute/ https://hopenothate.org.uk/2026/01/21/reform-watch-18/

Nigel Farage defends allowing employers to reject workers by nationality

Category: xenophobia

Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, said in January 2026 that employers should be allowed to prefer British-born workers and described existing anti-discrimination protections as "ludicrous." He repeated comments first made in a 2015 Channel 4 documentary and said he would not row back from them. Labour MPs including Imran Hussain and Clive Lewis criticised the remarks, with Hussain likening them to "National Front-style" discrimination and Lewis warning that weakening rights would harm workers. Lib Dem business spokeswoman Sarah Olney, Labour MP Alex Sobel and union leaders Paul Nowak and Christina McAnea also condemned the comments, and Farage has not retracted his position while remaining leader of Reform UK.

Laila Cunningham condemned over burqa stop and search remarks and "Muslim city" comments

Category: discriminatory remark

Location: London

Laila Cunningham said that women wearing the burqa should be subject to police stop and search, telling The Standard's podcast: "It has to be assumed that if you're hiding your face, you're hiding it for a criminal reason." She said she would look to ban face coverings if she could, and offered no evidence for the assumption of criminality. She also said parts of London "feel like a Muslim city", citing signs in other languages and burqas sold in markets, and said there should be "one civic culture" which "should be British". Muslim organisations and politicians condemned the remarks. Baroness Shaista Gohir, crossbench peer and chief executive of the Muslim Women's Network UK, called them "dangerous" and a "dog whistle" to racists, and said her charity had removed signage and staff photographs from its offices after a sharp rise in abusive and threatening messages. Critics said the comments risked exposing Muslim women to hostility and police suspicion on the basis of their dress.

Nigel Farage affirms employers should be allowed to discriminate by nationality

Category: xenophobia

Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, said on 13 January 2026 that he does not retract comments made in 2015 that employers should be able to choose staff on the basis of nationality and that race equality laws should be removed. He said he still believes Britain should 'put British workers first' and stood by his earlier remarks. Anti-racism groups and unions criticised the remarks, with Dr Shabna Begum calling the position a dangerous trajectory and the TUC general secretary Paul Nowak describing it as morally abhorrent. Green peer Natalie Bennett said Farage was waving the flag for prejudice, UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said he wanted to rip up anti-discrimination legislation, and the 2015 comments had previously been condemned by then-MP Nadhim Zahawi, who this week defected to Reform UK.

Nigel Farage accuses Rachel Reeves of 'racial slurs' and defends limiting child benefits to British parents

Category: xenophobia

On 9 January 2026 Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK and MP for Clacton, posted a video on X and a tweet responding to comments by Chancellor Rachel Reeves about his party's stance on the two-child benefit cap. He said Ms Reeves had used "racial slurs against us", repeated his claim that around 50% of those who would receive more money if the cap is removed have overseas parents, and argued the policy would cost the British economy; he framed Reform's position as limiting benefit entitlement to British parents working full time. Ms Reeves had earlier accused Mr Farage of racism in relation to Reform's proposal, saying she did not care about a child's skin colour and questioning whether he would deny payments on that basis. Reform's head of policy Zia Yusuf accused Ms Reeves of equating Britishness with race and called for Sir Keir Starmer to sack her, while a Labour source said Mr Farage wanted to "plunge hundreds of thousands of children into poverty"; Parliament was due to vote on the two-child cap the following week.

Nigel Farage says child benefit cap should only be lifted for British-born parents

Category: racism

On 8 January 2026 Nigel Farage said Reform UK would vote against lifting the two-child benefits cap unless both parents in a household were born in the UK and working full-time. He set out the condition as both parents having been born in the UK and being in full-time work before the cap could be removed. SNP leader John Swinney described the comments as "basic racism" and said he would have none of it. Malcolm Offord defended the position as "completely colour blind", saying it aimed to prioritise British nationals who had paid into the system, and Reform UK said it would oppose the UK Government's decision to end the cap.

Companies linked to Laila Cunningham struck off after failure to file legally required documents

Category: financial conduct concern

Location: London

Days after being unveiled as Reform UK's candidate for Mayor of London, it emerged that several companies linked to Laila Cunningham had been struck off by Companies House after failing to file legally required documents. Kitchin Table Ltd, jointly owned and directed by Cunningham and her husband, was dissolved in August 2024 following compulsory strike-off action. MGIC Ltd, of which she was a director, was struck off in August 2023. Failing to file company accounts is a criminal offence under UK law, although prosecution is rare and strike-off is the more common outcome. Cunningham told Times Radio she "didn't break companies' law". The reporting raised questions about the business record of a candidate campaigning on competence and law and order.

Carl Abbott linked Muslim children learning to pray with radicalisation and crime

Category: discriminatory remark

During a virtual council training session on extremism, Carl Abbott questioned whether teaching Muslim children to pray in schools could lead to radicalisation or a rise in crime. Footage obtained by ITV News Central shows him saying: "It really worries me when we see children in primary schools being taught to pray the Muslim way." Critics accused him of Islamophobia.

Sources: https://www.itv.com/news/central/2026-01-08/reform-uk-councillor-slammed-for-linking-muslim-prayer-to-crime

Nigel Farage threatens civil servants with prosecution and pension loss over asylum decisions

Category: intimidation bullying

In December 2025 Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, said civil servants who "wilfully ignored" the criminal background of asylum seekers could face criminal prosecution and the total loss of their pensions. He said he would not allow the safety of women and girls to be sacrificed and set out a proposal for a new offence of "dishonestly determining an asylum claim" carrying up to two years in prison, alongside plans to strip pensions from the most "egregious" officials. Zia Yusuf, Reform UK's head of policy, echoed Farage's position and accused the Home Office of granting asylum to people with violent histories. A government spokesperson defended the work of the Civil Service, noting recent removals and increased asylum-related returns, and the measures remain Reform UK's policy proposals rather than enacted law.

Richard Tice refuses to apologise for calling Nigel Farage's classmates 'liars'

Category: inflammatory language

On 10 December 2025 Richard Tice, deputy leader of Reform UK, told LBC's Tonight with Andrew Marr that it was "nonsense" he had made Nigel Farage's life harder by calling Farage's former classmates "liars" after historical allegations of racist behaviour. He said he did not regret the comments, refused to apologise when asked, and described the accusations as "made-up twaddle". The remarks were made during a live broadcast interview. The claims relate to allegations by more than 20 people that Farage engaged in racist or antisemitic behaviour at Dulwich College decades earlier, including Peter Ettedgui's claim that Farage told him "Hitler was right." Tice said Farage later produced counter-evidence, reiterated on BBC Radio 4 that telling a Jewish classmate "Hitler was right" would be racial abuse but called the specific allegations fabricated, and criticised a previous Emma Barnett interview; no apology from Tice or party disciplinary action has been reported.

Pochin told the Commons digital ID risked "mass state surveillance"

Category: factual inaccuracy

Location: Westminster Hall

In a Westminster Hall debate on digital ID on 8 December 2025, Sarah Pochin said the scheme would not solve illegal working, and on social media said the cards "will not address illegal migration" and instead "risk creating a system of mass state surveillance" that threatened the privacy and personal data of British citizens. Campaign group HOPE not hate and The New World also recorded her claiming that digital ID would stop people buying airline tickets, a claim with no basis in the published proposals. The pattern is familiar: a legitimate privacy argument inflated with assertions the evidence does not support.

Sources: https://www.theyworkforyou.com/whall/?id=2025-12-08a.7.1 https://www.parallelparliament.co.uk/mp/sarah-pochin/debate/2025-12-08/commons/westminster-hall/digital-id https://www.runcornandwidnesworld.co.uk/news/25682861.thousands-halton-oppose-digital-id-mp-speaks-parliament/

Tice called allegations about Farage's schooldays 'made-up twaddle' on Radio 4

Category: inappropriate behaviour

Location: BBC Radio 4, London

On 4 December 2025 Richard Tice, deputy leader of Reform UK, appeared on BBC Radio 4's Today programme and dismissed allegations that Nigel Farage had made racist and antisemitic remarks as a pupil at Dulwich College as "made-up twaddle". The allegations came from more than two dozen of Farage's school contemporaries, first reported by the Guardian, and included a claim that Farage told a Jewish classmate "Hitler was right". Asked whether such a remark would amount to racial abuse, Tice said it would. He nevertheless characterised the accounts as fabricated. The allegations remain contested testimony and have not been the subject of any legal or disciplinary finding.

Sources: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/dec/04/reform-uk-deputy-richard-tice-farage-antisemitism-allegations-made-up-twaddle https://www.itv.com/news/2025-12-04/reform-deputy-dismisses-farage-schoolboy-antisemitism-allegations-as-made-up https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/dec/04/farage-turns-on-broadcasters-racism-allegations-bbc

Nigel Farage says pupils not speaking English are 'the cultural smashing of Glasgow'

Category: racism

On 3 December 2025 Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, posted on the party's social media that nearly one in three pupils in Glasgow do not speak English as their first language and described this as "the cultural smashing of Glasgow", saying it was "turning it into a completely different city". He made the remarks ahead of a planned visit to Scotland and said he would make the issue a focus of Reform UK’s Holyrood campaign. Farage cited council figures showing around 29 per cent of Glasgow pupils spoke English as an additional language. Maggie Chapman, the Scottish Greens MSP, accused him of "picking on children" and of setting a "deeply racist agenda", while Glasgow City Council defended the city’s diversity and said many pupils are fluent and receive specialist support.

David Cumming resigned Durham seat after reports of very low attendance

Category: party management issue

Location: Durham

David Cumming was elected as a Reform UK councillor in Durham in May 2025 and resigned his seat around the turn of the year to take up a job overseas, triggering a by-election. Reports at the time noted that his attendance in the period before his departure was around 20 per cent. Reform UK has not published a response to the attendance figures.

Sources: https://x.com/reformexposed/status/2029773672857186346

Nathan Gill jailed for ten and a half years for taking around £40,000 in bribes linked to pro-Russian interests

Category: ethics violation

Location: London

On 21 November 2025 Nathan Gill was sentenced at the Old Bailey to ten and a half years' imprisonment for eight counts of bribery. The Crown Prosecution Service said he took around £40,000 in payments between 2018 and 2019 in exchange for tabling motions, delivering speeches and facilitating media access for individuals linked to pro-Russian interests. Bethan David, Head of Counter Terrorism at the CPS, said the case "strikes at the heart of democratic integrity" and that Gill had admitted he knew what he was doing was wrong. The Metropolitan Police said inquiries into whether other individuals committed offences were continuing.

Richard Tice said there is 'over-diagnosis' of SEND children and called ear defenders 'insane'

Category: discriminatory remark

On 17 November 2025 Richard Tice, Reform UK deputy leader and the MP for Boston and Skegness, gave a speech and a Q&A at Westminster in which he said there has been an "over-diagnosis" of children with special educational needs and disabilities. He described the sight of children wearing ear defenders in classrooms as "insane", suggested some parents were exploiting the SEND system to obtain VAT exemptions or motability vehicles, criticised formal labelling, and questioned the use of medication for some young people. Education and disability organisations including the NEU, Sense, the National Autistic Society and ADHD UK criticised his remarks as inaccurate, stigmatising and, in one case, "lies". Tice said he must not "generalise" and acknowledged there are cases where medication is appropriate while arguing there is over-diagnosis and over-medication; he remains Reform UK's deputy leader and MP for Boston and Skegness.

Lee Anderson vows Reform will end small boats 'invasion' once and for all

Category: xenophobia

On 14 November 2025, Reform UK MP Lee Anderson vowed that a Reform government would "march into the Home Office" and make what he called the "invasion" of Britain "a problem of the past". He criticised Labour for, in his words, incentivising illegal migration with "free hotels, free clothes, and warm meals" and called for "secure borders and mass deportations". The comments were made in response to Home Office figures on a UK-France returns scheme, which the Home Secretary said had seen 113 people deported and 84 returned via legal routes, while more than 8,000 people have arrived by small boats since the first return. Labour MP Shabana Mahmood hailed the deportations as a "milestone" and said the scheme was working, pledging to remove those who entered illegally; Anderson remains a Reform UK MP.

Nigel Farage nods at PMQs as David Lammy criticises Reform MP's 'racist' language

Category: racism

At Prime Minister's Questions on 5 November 2025 in the House of Commons, Nigel Farage appeared to nod when Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy criticised the language used by Reform MP Sarah Pochin during a TalkTV appearance the previous month. The exchange took place during a question about the conduct of Kent County Council. Ms Pochin apologised for any offence and said her comments were "phrased poorly", while also repeating her view that many adverts are unrepresentative of British society. No formal sanction against Mr Farage was reported following the nod; the incident occurred amid broader criticism of Reform's conduct on Kent County Council.

Nigel Farage scapegoats migrants in City speech outlining Reform UK vision

Category: xenophobia

Nigel Farage gave a speech to a City of London audience on 3 November 2025 in which he presented what he called Reform’s "vision" for Britain. He claimed UK GDP rose only because of immigration, said migration had "made the average Briton poorer," and repeated a figure of £200bn for benefits to refugees given permanent leave to remain, a figure the organisation that produced it later withdrew. He set out policy positions including deregulation of financial markets, reversing non-domicile tax changes, cuts to employment protections and public spending, and loosening oversight on banking and cryptocurrencies. The speech blamed immigrants rather than employers or low wages for poor productivity and included derogatory references to migrants; there was no immediate response from Farage or Reform UK and no formal consequence reported.

Nigel Farage urges cut to minimum wage for 18–20-year-olds

Category: discriminatory remark

On 3 November 2025 at a press conference in the City of London, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said the Government should consider cutting the minimum wage for young people to boost aspiration and business. He said "There’s an argument the minimum wage is too high for younger workers," and urged Chancellor Rachel Reeves to either lower the minimum wage for 18–20-year-olds or lift the cap at which employers pay National Insurance. Young people aged 18–20 are currently entitled to a minimum wage of £10 an hour. Farage made the remarks while criticising proposals to raise taxes on the wealthy, calling for tax cuts for high-earning "young professionals," and outlining plans to reduce public spending and welfare. He told the Chancellor to "do one or the other," and there was no immediate public response from the Chancellor. If implemented, the proposal would reduce the legal pay floor for 18–20-year-olds currently protected by the National Minimum Wage.

Alexander Jones suggested Black Britons could not be English

Category: racism

In early November 2025, following a mass stabbing on the Doncaster to London King’s Cross train, Reform UK councillor Alexander Jones posted on Facebook saying the individuals involved were "not English" and "Black and of Caribbean descent". In replies he wrote that being English required Anglo-Saxon "lineage" and "heritage", remarks that were later deleted from his account. The posts were deleted and Jones later posted on Facebook that his earlier post was "open to interpretations" and he "apologise[d] for any offence caused." A Doncaster Labour spokesperson and local community groups condemned the comments as discriminatory, Reform UK did not respond directly to requests for comment, and Jones remains a councillor who had been Reform’s Doncaster mayoral candidate earlier in 2025.

Recorded incident

Category: hate speech

Location: Essex; Reform UK headquarters, Westminster, London

Aaron Lee Taylor, a Reform UK activist who volunteered at the party’s head office and served as treasurer for Harwich and North Essex, repeatedly shared material online praising Adolf Hitler and denying the Holocaust. His X account contained clips of Hitler’s speeches, an image captioned “I gave it my all. Now it’s time for you to give it your all,” posts reading “Hitler was right” and “HEIL HITLER,” and a post saying “Amen to the white race.” On 1 November 2025 he posted a racist rhyme that began “If it’s black send it back / If it’s brown shoot it down / If it’s white it’s perfectly alright,” and he shared footage of Hitler and Nazi salutes. Taylor met Nigel Farage at his Essex tanning salon in January 2026 and attended Reform UK’s Westminster office on 10 March 2026, where he appeared alongside the party’s economics spokesman Robert Jenrick. We understand Taylor has since been removed from his role within Reform UK and is no longer a member.

Faten Hameed calls to put illegal immigrants in camps and deport them

Category: xenophobia

At a Glasgow Reform UK branch meeting on 2025-10-30, Faten Hameed, a Reform UK candidate hoping to stand in Scottish elections, said "Put them in camps and deport them" in reference to illegal immigrants. She also said asylum seekers "shouldn't be here" and that Scotland is "drained". Her remarks were made during the Glasgow branch meeting, and other members at the meeting echoed "natives first" priorities for housing over migrants. She is a Reform UK candidate hoping to stand in Scottish elections.

Danny Kruger says 'LGBT-supporting' parties could form 'appalling' nationalist government

Category: discriminatory remark

On 28 October 2025, Reform UK MP Danny Kruger told a party press conference that after the next election left-wing groups could "get together and have some sort of appalling, Hamas-supporting, LGBT-supporting, nationalist party" that would threaten the United Kingdom. He said a vote for any other party "risks this kaleidoscope of catastrophe," and positioned Reform UK as the only alternative. The remarks drew criticism from across the political spectrum, with Labour MPs Sir Chris Bryant and Polly Billington describing the comments as divisive and out of step with modern Britain, and a Liberal Democrat source calling the language "disgraceful and completely unacceptable." The controversy has arisen amid wider criticism of Reform UK, including recent remarks by MP Sarah Pochin, and party leader Nigel Farage was asked to state whether he agreed with Kruger’s comments.

Danny Kruger equates support for LGBT rights with Hamas in public remarks

Category: discriminatory remark

Reform MP Danny Kruger said during Reform UK's membership drive over the weekend that the UK could be led by an "appalling Hamas-supporting, LGBT-supporting nationalist party". The remarks were shown in a clip shared on Reform UK's YouTube page in which he listed support for LGBT rights alongside backing for Hamas. Labour MPs, including Polly Billington, criticised the comments as "outdated and out of line" and called on Reform leader Nigel Farage to condemn them. Kruger defended the remarks at a press conference in London as highlighting what he called incoherence among opposing parties; Farage has faced calls to act and the party has been contacted about Kruger's comment.

Nigel Farage calls masked Tower Hamlets protesters 'foreign invading army'

Category: xenophobia

On 26 October 2025 Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK and MP for Clacton, said at a Westminster press conference that masked protesters who had marched through Tower Hamlets were "like a foreign invading army" and described the scenes as "one of the most terrifying things I’ve ever seen in my whole life." He also said the display amounted to "urging the mass wipe out of huge numbers of Jewish people." The remarks followed a demonstration by hundreds from the Bangladeshi community in East London after a UKIP march in the borough was banned. The comments came amid a racism row within Reform UK over remarks by MP Sarah Pochin, whom Farage resisted calls to suspend while saying her wording was "wrong and ugly" but that he did not believe her intent was racist. Political leaders including Prime Minister Keir Starmer criticised Pochin and said Farage had questions to answer. Farage remains Reform UK leader and MP for Clacton, and no disciplinary action against Pochin was announced at the time.