Reform UK Party Leader Nigel Farage speaking at his conference (Image: Getty)
Nigel Farage was put in danger due to poor security at last week’s Reform UK conference, the party’s deputy leader has claimed. Richard Tice accused West Midlands Police of failing to keep the conference safe after protestors interrupted speeches. He said: “Police should be very concerned by the serious threat to Nigel and me as a result of the security lapse that allowed protesters to display a banner behind me when speaking, as this could easily have been a bomb.
“In addition, a masked Antifa thug outside the venue threw a rock at a delegate’s head.” Demonstrators were thrown out of the main conference hall four times at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, where Reform UK are holding their annual get-together. They interrupted Nigel Farage’s keynote speech, shortly after his deputy Richard Tice had a banner displayed during his own address referencing the scandal around a donation to Mr Farage.
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The Reform UK leader laughed during the disruption and said: “We’ve got a screamer. Oh, dear.”
West Midlands Police has asked a protester who was thrown out of the Reform UK conference to come forward in the light of footage that shows audience members pulling her hair and grabbing her head.
The force said it had not received a direct complaint but asked the woman to make contact so officers can carry out further investigations.
A statement from West Midlands Police said: “We’re aware of a video circulating from the Reform UK conference showing an incident with a protester.
“We haven’t received a complaint but would ask the woman involved to come forward and contact us so we can carry out enquiries.
“Anyone with any information should contact us on 101 quoting log number 924 of 5 September 2026.”
Activist group Climate Resistance claimed responsibility for the protest.
In a comment, they said they were “horrified at the violence” from Reform conference audience members.
The group also said the protester is considering whether to come forward to police.
Mr Farage told broadcasters: “It’s all one way, isn’t it? I can have milkshakes chucked in my face, be bashed over the head with placards, and that’s all fine. That’s absolutely fine.”
Reform UK’s home affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf condemned members who pulled the hair of a heckler during Mr Farage’s speech.
Asked whether he condemned the actions of some members who appeared in footage pulling the woman’s hair and grabbing her head, the party’s home affairs spokesman told a conference fringe event: “On the question of whether I condemn people punching people, yes, I condemn people punching people.”
Yet party chair Lee Anderson said the party would be having a “whip round” for an audience member who was seen hitting the protester with a walking stick.
He told the conference: “I did see an old chap, a pensioner somewhere with a walking stick.
“Look, I don’t condone any sort of that behaviour, but if anybody wants to have a quick whip round later, we are collecting for a new walking stick.”
Robert Jenrick has told protesters at the Reform UK conference to “get a life” and reacted to footage of a woman being dragged out by her hair by saying “boohoo”.
Video from the party’s gathering in Birmingham showed audience members pulling the protester’s hair and grabbing her head, with a man then hitting her with a walking stick.
Asked about the incident on Sky News’s Sunday Morning programme, Mr Jenrick said: “Oh boohoo.”