Can Reform UK show it is more than a one-man band?

Reform UK opens its annual conference in Birmingham sporting its first elected members of parliament, a muchexpanded membership, and plenty of enthusiasm.

- SEAN O'GRADY

Its leader, Nigel Farage, who has been knocking around at the top of politics for longer than all his many rivals combined, has made it into the Commons, on his eighth attempt. He has pledged to spearhead “the real opposition” to the Labour government...

What’s the mood?

Pretty upbeat. They’ve broken into the British parliament at last, and are, as they put it, relishing being foxes in the hen house. The rebellious vibe worked well for Farage and the gang in the European parliament, but the Commons is different, and so far none of Reform’s new MPs – Farage (Clacton), Richard Tice (Boston and Skegness), Lee Anderson (Ashfield), Rupert Lowe (Great Yarmouth) and James McMurdock (South Basildon and East Thurrock) – has made much of an impact; instead they have been schooled by the government front bench.

Even so, the party came third in the popular vote at the general election, harvested 4 million votes (14.3 per cent), and now has the status and platform that the Commons provides. Party membership is claimed to stand at about 80,000 (against, say, 140,000 for the Tories), and some money is coming in. Meanwhile the Tory party is in disarray, and the Labour government is slipping in the polls.

Farage and his allies have spotted an opportunity to push their far-right populist agenda, and believe they can retake, on behalf of the populist right, the “red wall” seats won by Johnson in 2019 that reverted to Labour in July.

What’s the conference about?