Reform UK
Reform UK is a right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom (UK) made up of politicians who support Brexit. Created in November 2018 as the Brexit Party it changed its name to Reform UK in January 2021. It was led by Nigel Farage until March 2021 when Richard Tice became leader until June 2024 when Farage returned to the position.
Reform UK | |
|---|---|
| Chairman | Richard Tice |
| Leader | Nigel Farage |
| Founders |
|
| Founded | 23 November 2018 |
| Registered | 5 February 2019 |
| Headquarters | 83 Victoria Street London SW1 0HW[1] |
| Ideology | Right-wing populism Euroscepticism |
| Political position | Right-wing[2] |
| Colours | Aqua, white |
| Slogan | Britain Needs Reform |
| House of Commons | 5 / 650 |
| London Assembly | 1 / 25 |
| Local government[3] | 44 / 18,725 |
| Website | |
| https://www.reformparty.uk | |
Many of its members were formerly of the UK Independence Party (UKIP), with Farage having led UKIP from 2006 to 2009 and 2010 to 2016, as well as from the Conservative Party.[4]
On 6 January 2021, the party was re-registered as Reform UK.[5] Farage stepped down as leader in March 2021, being replaced by party chairman Richard Tice[6] but he became leader again on 3 June 2024.[7]
2019 European Parliament election as the Brexit Party
change| Year | Leader | Share of votes | Seats | Change | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Nigel Farage | 30.52% | 29 / 73
|
n/a | 1st |
Reform Party
changeBefore the general election on 8 December 2019, the party's leader Nigel Farage said that, after Brexit, the party would change its name to the "Reform Party", and campaign for changes in the electoral system and structure of the House of Commons.[8]
In October 2020, Farage and Tice said they had gone to the Electoral Commission, which handles elections, to re-name the Brexit Party to 'Reform UK',[9] and said that the party would campaign against more lockdowns (because of the COVID-19 pandemic) and that would seek to reform parts of UK Governance, including the BBC and House of Lords. In a report, Nigel Farage said he and the party supported the Great Barrington Declaration, which tries to remove restrictions and let the lower risk people be infected and become immune and unable to infect the elderly and vulnerable or cause them to die.[10]
A poll by YouGov said that the amount of voters with a good opinion of Nigel Farage and those with a negative opinion of COVID-19 lockdowns was at about 7% of voters.[11] The charity Reform, which has the domain name reform.uk, had complained to the Electoral Commission about the name change, saying that it could be hurting its reputation through name confusion.[12]
On 6 January 2021, the party's name change to Reform UK was approved by the electoral commission.[13]
In January 2021, Reform UK gained representation in the Scottish Parliament when former Conservative and then independent MSP Michelle Ballantyne joined the party and was named Reform UK's leader in Holyrood by Nigel Farage.[14] She lost her seat in May 2021.[15]
Lee Anderson joined Reform UK on 11 March 2024, becoming their first MP.[16]
Policies
change- Resume fracking[17]
- Start coal mining again[17]
- Get more oil and gas out of the North Sea[17]
- Cut NHS waiting times within two years by increasing the use of private healthcare operations, at a cost of £30 billion[17]
- Leave the European Convention on Human Rights.[18]
- Immediately cut the rate of corporation tax from 25% to 20% and then further reduce corporation tax to 15% in the third year of parliament.[19]
- Reduce government spending by £150 billion per year, including public services and working-age benefits.[19]
References
change- ↑ "View registration – The Electoral Commission". search.electoralcommission.org.uk. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
- ↑ Boscia, Stefan (27 April 2023). "Trump who? Farage's party cozies up to DeSantis as White House hopeful lands in UK". Politico. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
- ↑ "Open Council Data UK". 15 February 2024. Archived from the original on 15 February 2024. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
- ↑ "Rees-Mogg elected Brexit Party MEP". 27 May 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
- ↑ "Party registration decisions". electoralcommission.org.uk.
- ↑ "Nigel Farage: Brexit-backing politician to quit as leader of Reform UK". BBC News. 6 March 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
- ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-politics-69082668
- ↑ "Farage promises Reform Party after Brexit". BBC News. 8 December 2019. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
- ↑ View current applications Electoral Commission
- ↑ "It's time: From Brexit to Reform UK". ReformUK: The Brexit Party. Archived from the original on 6 May 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
Our party of Reform is the only political party that supports the Great Barrington Declaration.
- ↑ McDonnell, Adam. "Is there a market for Nigel Farage's Reform UK?". yougov.co.uk. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
- ↑ Sleigh, Sophia (9 November 2020). "Reform think tank asks Nigel Farage to rethink Brexit Party name change". www.standard.co.uk. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
- ↑ "Party registration decisions". www.electoralcommission.org.uk. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
- ↑ Michelle Ballantyne: Former Scottish Conservative MSP joins Nigel Farage's Reform UK | Politics News | Sky News
- ↑ "Small parties and independents big losers in Scottish elections". The National. Retrieved 2021-05-10.
- ↑ "Ex-Tory MP Lee Anderson defects to Reform". BBC News. 2024-03-11. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 Wheeler, Brian (4 January 2023). "Richard Tice: Reform UK leader says he wants to wipe Tories out at polls". BBC News. Archived from the original on 4 January 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
- ↑ Narwan, Gurpreet (22 June 2024). "Reform UK's tax plans disproportionately benefit high earners, analysis shows". Sky News. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 "Reform UK manifesto: a reaction". Institute for Fiscal Studies. 17 June 2024. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
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