Reform councillor Annie May O’Neill (Image: Annie May O’Neill)

Those due to speak include Annie May O’Neill, a Reform town Councillor for Chipping Ongar who became the star of the party’s campaign to advertise Reform UK football shirts. She is a student at the University of Law.

Others include Derbyshire councillor Charlotte Hill, a former beauty queen and Derbyshire entrant in the Miss Great Britain and Miss Universe Great Britain. She is a full-time engineer with National Highways.

He will give evidence to a House Judiciary Committee which is investigating “Europe’s threat to American speech and innovation.”

The hearing “will examine European threats to American free speech and innovation” according to the Committee, which is chaired by former amateur wrestling champion Jim Jordan, an ally of Donald Trump. Mr Jordan claimed the Online Safety Act and EU internet regulation “create a serious chilling effect on free expression and threaten the First Amendment rights of American citizens and companies”

Mr Farage has vowed to repeal the Act if he becomes Prime Minister, calling it “state suppression of genuine free speech”.

Nigel Farage to share conference spotlight with the women transforming Reform’s image

Nigel Farage has long been the central figure at Reform UK conferences, but the party’s latest efforts to broaden its public image have placed a growing spotlight on the women within its ranks.

The development comes as Reform attempts to present itself as a more established political organisation while retaining the distinctive campaigning style that helped it attract attention in recent years. The party’s 2026 conference in Birmingham demonstrated both sides of that strategy, with Farage remaining the headline figure while other prominent politicians and activists were given increasingly visible roles.

The question of Reform’s image has become particularly significant as the party seeks to appeal to voters beyond its traditional political base. Women have featured prominently in some of the party’s recent campaigning, including the launch of Women for Reform, while senior female figures have become increasingly visible in discussions about crime, immigration, families, equality and public services.

That development has also generated controversy.

Farage remains the centre of attention

There is little doubt that Farage remains central to Reform UK’s public identity.

At the party’s 2026 conference, he delivered the keynote speech and outlined the party’s plans for its first 100 days in government in the event of winning a parliamentary majority. ITV reported that Farage said he would declare a national emergency on his first day as prime minister under that scenario.

The conference was therefore still fundamentally a Farage event.

However, the prominence of other figures reflects an attempt to demonstrate that Reform is more than one politician.

The party now includes MPs, councillors, spokespeople and senior figures with different professional and political backgrounds. Some have arrived from other parties, while others have built their reputations through campaigning, business or media work.

Women are increasingly part of that broader presentation.

The political significance is not simply about the number of women appearing at party events. It is also about the subjects on which they are asked to speak and the audiences Reform hopes to reach.

Women for Reform

One of the clearest examples has been the development of Women for Reform.

The initiative has sought to give female supporters and politicians a more visible role in presenting the party’s arguments on issues that directly affect women and families.

Sarah Pochin, one of Reform’s prominent female MPs, has been associated with the initiative. Her political interventions have frequently focused on questions including immigration, crime, women’s safety and family policy.

The strategy reflects a broader political reality.

Women are not a single voting bloc. Their views differ substantially according to age, income, location, occupation, family circumstances and political priorities.

Consequently, simply presenting more female politicians does not automatically change a party’s electoral coalition.

What it can do, however, is provide different messengers for the same political programme.

For Reform, this is particularly relevant because the party has faced questions about whether its public identity is too closely associated with Farage himself.

A wider group of recognisable politicians allows the party to communicate its policies through different personalities.

The image question

Reform’s efforts to develop a broader image come at a time when the party is attempting to professionalise its organisation.

The Times reported earlier in 2026 that Reform had changed the format and commercial strategy of its annual conference, moving towards a more formal approach intended to attract business supporters. The party reduced some of the more flamboyant elements associated with its previous conference presentation while increasing opportunities for corporate engagement.

That evolution matters because political parties seeking wider influence often have to balance two objectives.

The first is maintaining the identity that attracted their existing supporters.

The second is appearing sufficiently broad and organised to appeal to people who may not previously have considered voting for them.

Reform’s increased visibility for women can be understood within that wider process.

A party that wants to operate across a broad range of political issues needs spokespeople capable of discussing more than its traditional headline subjects.

A complicated relationship with women’s issues

Reform’s approach to women’s issues has itself generated debate.

In June 2026, Farage and Reform proposed legislation described by the party as a “women and motherhood protection act”. Reform said the proposal was intended to strengthen women’s rights and replace elements of the existing legal framework.

However, trade unions and critics disputed the implications of the proposal.

The Guardian reported that unions argued the proposed changes could weaken protections relating to equal pay for work of equal value. Reform rejected that interpretation and presented its legislation as an attempt to strengthen equality before the law.

The disagreement illustrates a recurring feature of British political debate: the same policy can be described very differently by its supporters and opponents.

For Reform, presenting women as an important constituency is therefore not simply a question of public relations.

It involves substantive arguments over employment law, motherhood, family policy, crime, immigration and equality.

A broader group of female voices

The changing public profile of women within Reform also reflects the party’s growth.

The organisation has gained politicians with different backgrounds, including former Conservative figures. Nadine Dorries, for example, became a Reform supporter and has appeared at party events.

Female councillors have also become more visible.

During the disputes surrounding Reform’s 2026 conference, several women in the party took public positions on demonstrations and the controversy surrounding protesters.

That episode demonstrated the diversity of opinion inside Reform itself.

The Guardian reported disagreements among Reform politicians and councillors over the party’s response to protests in Dover and Portsmouth. Some senior figures criticised masked demonstrations, while other party members defended the protesters’ motivations.

This matters because a growing political organisation inevitably contains different personalities and approaches.

The more prominent Reform becomes, the more difficult it is for every politician associated with the party to be defined simply through Farage’s political style.

Conference controversies

The 2026 conference also showed how difficult it can be for Reform to control its public image.

Farage’s keynote address was repeatedly interrupted by protesters. The Independent reported that two women stood up holding a banner criticising the party’s financial links, while further protesters disrupted the speech later in the event.

One protester was subsequently shown in footage being grabbed by members of the audience as security attempted to remove her. West Midlands Police later asked the woman to contact officers so that enquiries could be carried out.

The incidents generated further arguments about Reform’s internal culture.

Some Reform figures condemned physical behaviour towards protesters, while others criticised the protesters for disrupting a conference attended by paying delegates.

These disagreements are important because they demonstrate how the party’s public image is still being contested.

The presence of more women at conferences cannot by itself settle those questions.

Beyond Farage

The longer-term question is whether Reform can develop a political identity that extends beyond its founder.

Farage remains the party’s best-known figure, but Reform’s growing organisation means that other politicians increasingly have opportunities to establish their own profiles.

Women could play an important role in that process.

Their involvement allows Reform to discuss political issues through a wider range of experiences and perspectives. It also gives the party opportunities to engage audiences who may not respond to Farage’s traditional political style.

But visibility is only one part of political development.

For women within Reform to become genuinely influential figures, they would need to develop identifiable positions, parliamentary records, policy responsibilities and relationships with voters independent of conference appearances.

That process takes time.

A changing political landscape

The attention surrounding Reform’s female politicians comes against a broader transformation in British politics.

The traditional two-party system has become more fragmented, with voters increasingly willing to consider smaller or newer parties.

Reform is attempting to turn its support into a permanent political organisation with a nationwide presence.

Its conference strategy therefore matters.

Farage continues to provide the party’s most recognisable voice, but the presence of a larger group of politicians allows Reform to present itself as an organisation rather than simply a vehicle for one politician.

The women now receiving greater attention are part of that transition.

Whether they ultimately transform Reform’s image will depend on how successfully they establish their own political identities and whether voters respond to the policies they promote.

For now, the evidence points to a party in the process of expanding its public presentation.

Farage remains firmly at the centre of the stage, but the growing visibility of women within Reform suggests that the party is increasingly conscious of the need for a broader cast of political figures.

That does not erase the controversies surrounding Reform, nor does it guarantee a change in public perceptions.

But it does mark another stage in the party’s evolution as it attempts to move from a movement heavily identified with Nigel Farage towards a more developed political organisation with multiple prominent voices.

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