Nigel Farage has a chance to get back on top (Image: Getty)
It has been a rocky few months for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK – but the political party has an opportunity to hit the reset button this weekend when it holds its annual conference in Birmingham. There have been a number of distractions throughout the summer which have not helped the party maintain its political top spot in the polls. The hounding of Mr Farage and members of his family over financial donations has not only been shameful, but obsessional.
Any sane mind should wait to see what the parliamentary standards commissioner has to say on the matter before passing judgement. We also had the seaside pantomime of the Clacton by-election caused by Mr Farage’s decision to quit as an MP to get a fresh mandate from local voters in the face of the allegations surrounding financial donations.
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While the objective might have been sound, other political parties decided to show their contempt for local voters by not fielding candidates, which only strengthened the narrative that the cosy Westminster club are all too happy to close ranks when it suits them for pathetic point scoring.
For me, this decision only demonstrated how little some political parties value the electorate and at a stroke removed the choice from voters who might have wanted to vote Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrat or Green – it was certainly not their finest hour.
Mr Farage was once again elected MP for Clacton despite much fawning online over a candidate of a bloke dressed as a bin.
And the other thorn in the side of Reform UK is the increasing presence of Restore Britain with research showing they could do considerable damage to the party in key constituencies at a general election.
I have interviewed Rupert Lowe – their leader and only MP – twice in the past and he is an engaging and forthright man though the question remains as to whether this former Reform UK MP can get beyond being a one-man vendetta movement against his former boss.
Mr Lowe should also consider the wrath of the British public should his party become successful enough and split the vote on the right of politics that would result in another socialist government.
Reform UK has had a bumpy ride over the last few months, so this week’s conference has much riding on it.
The event will rightly begin with a tribute to Ann Widdecombe, the Reform UK spokeswoman and former Daily Express columnist, whose brutal death in July shocked the country. There will be keynote speeches from Reform frontline MPs including Lee Anderson, Sarah Pochin, Suella Braverman, Robert Jenrick and Richard Tice.
Mr Tice certainly knows how to whip up the crowd, and his speeches are often a conference highlight. Other Reform stalwarts such as Laila Cunningham, Malcolm Offord, Matt Goodwin and Zia Yusuf are also set to take to the main stage to sell the party’s wares across a range of policy platforms. Nigel Farage will deliver his keynote speech on Friday afternoon and close the conference at the end of Saturday.
The party has a tremendous opportunity this weekend to reset to once again show voters that it is ready for government despite recent distractions. I would hope to see an announcement made of new spokespeople covering a variety of areas but chiefly defence and health.
Voters also need to get a sense of the work being done by the big brains in the party – most notably by MP Danny Kruger and James Orr – regarding dealing with the nuts and bolts of power and reforming the civil service to make Britian work better.
One thing that should delight Reform supporters is the announcement of Reform Radio, which is due to launch on 5 November and can be found at reformradio.uk – a dedicated platform of news, debate and entertainment.
The conference is also an opportunity to highlight new Reform names from the ranks of councillors across the country that the party has gained in the last two years – Linden Kemkaran who is leader of Kent County Council has certainly proved herself to be an excellent ambassador for Reform UK.
I was at the last conference, and the atmosphere was genuinely electrifying – though this year I would suggest there needs to be a greater focus on substance and not just stunts.
We have a new Prime Minister who has yet to prove himself and a Conservative Party that this week will rejig its shadow cabinet – both are fully aware of the ongoing threat of Reform UK. Get this week’s conference right and the party will once again be topping the polls with a chunky lead.