Tag Archives: reform uk

Boris Johnson Slams Reform UK For ‘Not Doing A Bean’ To Get Brexit Over The Line

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Boris Johnson has hit out at Reform UK for consistently taking credit for getting Brexit over the line.

The former Conservative prime minister, who campaigned in the 2019 general election on the promise to “get Brexit done”, claimed Nigel Farage’s party did not do a “bean” towards actually securing our EU exit.

Both Johnson and Farage were part of the Leave movement in the run-up to and shortly after EU referendum in 2016, though on different campaigns – the then-Tory MP Johnson was in Vote Leave while Farage led Leave.EU.

Farage and his party Reform UK – formerly the Brexit Party – have consistently attacked Johnson’s legacy after migration soared once the UK left the EU.

Sky News presenter Trevor Phillips asked Johnson on Sunday: “Are you at all embarrassed by the way that Reform and others are using the term ‘Boriswave’?

“Because it is true that net migration, for better or worse, has been higher as a consequence of decisions you took than any time in our history.”

Johnson said Brexit gave the UK power to “control immigration”.

He continued: “We have the power under Brexit, and under Brexit, which I secured and which those people didn’t – they didn’t even exist!”

“They did not have a single MP,” he said, referring to Reform UK. “They did not do a bean to get Brexit through the House of Commons. Not a bean.

“ And they swank around claiming to have been responsible for it.

“They did, they did nothing to deliver Brexit.

“The hard Brexit I went through the House of Commons I want to move, enables us, enables this country not only to have as few people because we want overall, but also under our laws, to decide who comes from where.”

Reform UK spokesman hit back at that criticism, telling HuffPost UK: “Boris only had his majority because we put country before party in 2019.

“Boris then broke Britain so badly that the Conservatives haven’t led a single opinion poll since.”

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Nigel Farage Says He Is Being Treated Like ‘A War Criminal’ By The Media

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Nigel Farage has been criticised after claiming he is being “treated like a war criminal” by his critics.

The Reform UK made the astonishing remark while being interviewed by the party’s in-house podcast.

He was speaking after he shocked Westminster last week by quitting as MP for Clacton to trigger a by-election in the seat.

Farage claimed he was the victim of a “witch hunt” as he faces a parliamentary standards investigation over a £5 million gift from a Thailand-based crypto billionaire but did not declare.

He could also face separate probes over support he received from convicted fraudster George Cottrell and lobbying he has done on cryptocurrency.

On the podcast, he said calling the by-election was “the right thing to do”.

“I think effectively I’m being treated like a war criminal,” he said.

“It’s quite astonishing, and it’s like our mainstream media think we have to defer to them at all times, and I just don’t buy that.

“You look at today’s press and they say he doesn’t want scrutiny. I don’t mind scrutiny, but I do mind illegally obtained information, I do mind computer hacking. I genuinely mind those things, and the intimidation of my family.

“I just thought it had all reached such a frenzy that I had to do something.”

The decision to trigger the by-election has backfired, though, after Labour, the Tories, the Lib Dems, Greens and Restore Britain all said they would not stand candidates in the contest.

Instead, Farage faces a head-to-head battle with Count Binface.

The Reform leader said: “I’ve done something positive. They wanted a by-election here. Well now they’ve got one and they don’t want to stand.”

A Labour Party spokesperson said: “Farage needs to wake up and realise that the public expect all politicians to be held to account for their actions.

“Farage is not a war criminal, but he is trying to dodge scrutiny over a secret £5 million ‘gift’ from a crypto billionaire and undeclared donations from a convicted fraudster, and it’s perfectly reasonable for people to ask him questions about it.

“Farage can keep trying to distract, but the public can increasingly see that he’s just in it for himself and he thinks the rules don’t apply to him.”

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Police Urge People Not To Speculate On ‘Motive’ Of Ann Widdecombe’s Alleged Murder

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Police have urged the public not to speculative on the “motive” behind Ann Widdecombe’s alleged murder.

The former Conservative minister, and later Reform UK spokeswoman, was found dead at her home in Haytor on Dartmoor at about 11.40am on Thursday after sustaining serious injuries.

A 28-year-old white British man was arrested on suspicion of murder in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, shortly after 9pm on Saturday.

At a police briefing on Sunday, assistant chief constable Matt Longman, of Devon and Cornwall Police, said: “At this point, there is still no information to suggest that this is a terrorism-related incident and at this point we are not looking for anyone else in connection with this murder.

“At this stage, there is nothing to suggest that it was politically-motivated.”

He said detectives “remain open-minded about the potential motive” and stressed it is not believed there is any threat to the wider public.

The officer added: “We are aware of online and public speculation, particularly with regards to motive.

“Again, I urge people not to share or engage with that speculation – it’s unhelpful, it doesn’t aid our investigation, and particularly, it’s distressing to the family and friends of Miss Widdecombe.”

Speaking as he laid a wreath outside Widdecombe’s home on Saturday, Reform leader Nigel Farage said: “From what I make out, this was premeditated murder.

“Whether it was politically motivated, whether it was someone with a grudge. I don’t think it pays at this time to speculate.”

It has also emerged that Reform MPs are being given round the clock security protection following Widdecombe’s death.

Meanwhile, Reform’s home affairs spokesman, Zia Yusuf, accused parliamentary authorities of not caring about the safety of the party’s MPs.

In a post on X, he said: “The state is providing no protection whatsoever.

“In fact, based on what I have seen in the last 48 hours, none of the government, the Speaker nor the police care at all about the security of Reform MPs.

“Several of our MPs have written to the above in recent months about distressing, escalating security concerns, asking for help. Their correspondence was not even replied to. I will let you draw your own conclusions from this.”

But independent MP Rosie Duffield replied: “Every single sitting MP is entitled to security provided by the House of Commons. This also covers our outside engagements.”

The Commons Speaker’s office has been approached for comment.

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Lammy Effortlessly Demolishes Farage’s Claim To Be Anti-Establishment With Brutal Putdown

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David Lammy tore into Nigel Farage during deputy prime minister’s questions on Wednesday over the Reform UK leader’s decision to trigger a by-election.

The Clacton MP dramatically declared that he was resigning, only to run again in a “people versus establishment” contest in his constituency yesterday.

The announcement came as Farage faces a growing list of questions about his finances.

He is currently under investigation by the parliamentary standards commissioner for failing to declare a £5 million “gift” he received from a crypto-billionaire shortly before he ran for parliament in 2024.

Farage could face further probes for not declaring his entire property portfolio to parliament or for the support he quietly took from “posh” George Cottrell.

It recently emerged the convicted criminal offered Farage funding for staff, security and the use of his London townhouse before he became an MP.

Farage has denied any wrongdoing and claims to be the victim of an “establishment stitch-up”.

But, in the Commons on Wednesday, Lammy – who was representing the government while Keir Starmer is away at the Nato summit in Turkey – questioned Farage’s claim of being a man of the people.

Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper kicked off the conversation by asking Lammy if Farage’s resignation should be delayed until after the probe into his undeclared gifts.

She joked: “The honorable member for Clacton used to say leave means leave, but it seems his latest stunt is to leave this place so he can return as a fully-fledged member, after not just one referendum on his behaviour, Mr Speaker, but possibly two.”

The deputy PM replied: “Everyone can see that the Reform leader is just trying to distract from the fact that he is up to his neck in sleaze.

“He’s got serious questions to answer and he can’t run away from them.

“Labour isn’t going to be part of this circus.

“I hear it’s the people versus the establishment – the city trader, Putin-admiring, professional politician who is pals with crypto billionaires versus Count Binface.”

All other political parties have decided not to run a candidate against Farage in Clacton, leaving only comedy candidate Count Binface to compete against the Reform leader.

That triggered yet more laughter in the Commons, to which Lammy said: “There have been unqualified joke candidates in the past. Let’s see what the people of Clacton decide.”

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Nigel Farage Quits As MP To Trigger By-Election Amid Row Over His Finances

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Nigel Farage has dramatically quit as an MP to trigger a by-election in his Clacton seat.

The Reform UK leader made the shock announcement amid the mounting furore over his personal finances.

He said it would be a “people versus the establishment” contest as he accused the media and his political opponents of waging a vendetta against him.

In a statement broadcast on social media, Farage said: “I will fight to win. I will fight to continue the political revolution that Reform has started, and I would say this to you, the voters of Clacton, if I win, you win, because if I lose, they win, and we will never with the two old parties get the type of fundamental change that we need to fix broken Britain.”

Farage has been under pressure since it emerged in April that he had received a £5 million gift from Thailand-based crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne shortly before he became an MP.

Daniel Greenberg, the parliamentary commissioner for standards, is carrying out a probe into whether Farage should have declared it – and could recommend he be suspended from the Commons.

By taking matters into his own hands, the Reform boss may be trying to get ahead of the investigation by attempting to secure a fresh mandate from voters in Clacton, who elected him with a majority of 8,400 at the last general election.

Greenberg has also been urged to investigate the financial support Farage accepted from convicted criminal George Cottrell before be entered parliament.

According to the Sunday Times, Cottrell – known as “posh George” – provided funding for Farage’s staffing and security, as well as the use of a London townhouse, before he became an MP.

Under parliamentary rules, new MPs need to register any gifts worth more than £300 they received in the previous 12 months, except where the gift “could not be reasonably thought by others” to relate to their political activities.

Farage has denied any wrongdoing and claimed he is the victim of “an establishment hit job”.

Allies of the Reform leader have described him as “tired” and “stressed” as the pressure mounts, and suggested he needs a break from politics.

His dramatic announcement came a day after he clashed with a Sky News reporter at Heathrow Airport as he returned from America.

Asked if it was a mistake not to declare the financial support he received from George Cottrell, Farage replied: “You tell your bosses, you harass my family any more there will be serious consequences. That’s what your organisation has done this morning. Go away.”

Sky has denied approaching anyone in Farage’s family about the story, which the Reform leader dismissed as “an outright lie”.

In his statement, he said: “The issue with my daughter was the final straw. Enough is enough. And I thought over the weekend, what shall I do?

“I could go out and try and make some real big money. I could go to the USA, where I’ve got plenty of offers. And then I thought, why should I be judged today, or in history in the future, by Sky News and their ilk?

“Why should they be the people that decide my fate? When, as I repeat, I have done nothing wrong.

“I thought about it hard and I have decided today I will resign as a member of parliament for Clacton-on-Sea, thereby forcing a by-election, which should happen, I hope, in short order.

“Now I’ve decided that the people of Clacton should be the judges of my actions. This will be a people versus the establishment by-election. It’s a chance to stick two fingers up to the entire establishment to frankly tell them where to go, and that is why I will be putting my name forward to stand in this by-election.”

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Dissatisfaction In Nigel Farage As Reform Leader Rises Amid Fresh Scrutiny, Poll Shows

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Dissatisfaction in Nigel Farage has increased over the last year amid growing scrutiny over his finances, according to a new poll.

Ipsos found almost two-thirds (63%) of Brits said they are “dissatisfied” with the Reform UK leader in June 2026 compared to 49% in June 2025.

That number far exceeds the number who are still satisfied in Farage – just 26% said they were happy with the Clacton MP this year, compared to 26% in 2025.

The findings come as the Clacton MP is under investigation for not declaring a £5 million donation from a crypto-billionaire shortly before he was sworn into parliament.

He insists he has not broken any parliamentary rules as the lump sum was not used for political purposes.

The Sunday Times has also revealed that Farage did not declare the support he received from convicted criminal George Cottrell prior to his election.

A Reform spokesperson replied: “Contrary to the story’s tone, no parliamentary rules have been broken.”

The party’s Treasury spokesperson Robert Jenrick also insisted on Sky News on Sunday that heightened scrutiny on Farage’s finances has not had an impact on their popularity.

Indeed, pollsters at Ipsos found 26% of Brits would vote for Reform if a general election were held tomorrow.

That means Farage’s party has held onto its comfortable lead in the opinion polls even during the heightened scrutiny.

However, Labour appears to have closed much of the gap behind Reform, and is just two points behind on 24%.

The party’s improvement in the polls comes amid speculation that Andy Burnham is going to take over from Keir Starmer.

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‘I’m Not Lying’: Fiona Bruce Clashes With Zia Yusuf In BBC Question Time Bias Row

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BBC Question Time presenter Fiona Bruce clashed with Zia Yusuf after he suggested the show’s audience was not balanced.

Reform UK’s home affairs spokesman complained after only eight people put their hands up when he asked who supported the party.

But Bruce hit back by insisting the BBC was “scrupulous” in ensuring the make-up of the audience represented wider public opinion.

After one audience member said Nigel Farage should never be prime minister, Yusuf said to Bruce: “You did ask earlier who supports Reform, and I make out four people in the audience put their hands up, which is interesting given Reform is at 28% in the polls.

“It’s a genuine question, can we get a show of hands from people who actually support Reform?”

When several people put their hands up, Bruce told him: “I think you’ll see that’s a bit more than four.”

Yusuf said: “I make that eight. It’s certainly nowhere close to representative I’m afraid, Fiona.”

But Bruce told him: “Can I just point out there are more people than that in the audience, they’re just not putting their hands up.”

Yusuf said: “We’ll all have to take the BBC’s word for that.”

In response, Bruce said the corporation was “scrupulous” in ensuring the Question Time audience is balanced.

“I’m certainly not lying about it, I can tell you that,” she said.

When Yusuf then asked “where’s the evidence”, the presenter replied: “As you know, we interview everybody over the phone, we check their social media.

“But what also happens is not everyone wants to put their hand up and show their political allegiance on national television, and there is nothing I can do about that, I’m afraid.”

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Reform’s Plans For Women And Motherhood Act Under Fire For ‘Bringing In Handmaid’s Tale’

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Reform UK’s plans for a Women and Motherhood Protection Act have been compared to the dystopian Handmaid’s Tale in a scathing takedown.

Nigel Farage’s party has promised to “strengthen women’s rights, protect motherhood and restore equality before the law” in a new policy document.

It claims the Equality Act does not go far enough and that sex based rights have been eroded.

The party vows “Reform UK will be the most pro-woman and pro-mother government in modern British history”.

It pledges to protect existing maternity rights and extend the time limit for pregnancy and maternity claims of unfair dismissal to 12 months.

“This Act will make Britain one of the best countries in the world to become a mother,” Reform alleges.

But the pledges fell flat with Labour MP Stella Creasy, who has long campaigned against the “motherhood penalty” in the UK.

She told HuffPost UK: “Reform reveal they think only women have responsibility for bringing up children.

“This is a charter for bringing in the Handmaid’s Tale, not equality in the home or the workplace – reinforcing the motherhood penalty and not ending it.”

The Handmaid’s Tale is a dystopian novel and drama series about forcing fertile women to bear children in a totalitarian society.

Creasy continued: “That’s why we need to align with Europe in giving all parents rights to paid parental leave so that no parent is left holding the baby.

“If Reform are serious about helping end discrimination, they should back my amendment to do that instead of failing to even mention the responsibilities of dads and second parents.”

Bridget Phillipson, minister for women and equalities, also criticised the policy suggestion.

She said: “Nigel Farage has spent years arguing women don’t need the protections and rights we fought for.

“From their leader praising Andrew Tate, to running a self-professed sexist as a candidate, Reform prove time and again they have a problem with women.”

Reform’s candidate for the upcoming Makerfield by-election, Robert Kenyon, made sexist remarks in unearthed social media comments and even admitted: “I’m sexist, sorry but I am.”

Phillipson continued: “Tearing up the Equality Act on day one just to replace it with something weaker is a complete waste of time and money.

“It was a Labour government that put women’s rights into law, and a Labour government now that is safeguarding and strengthening them.”

The Conservatives’ shadow equalities minister, Claire Coutinho, tore into the policy plan, too.

She said: “Reform care so little about women’s rights they said they’d scrap the Equality Act without even realising that it protects pregnant women from being sacked.

“Their prisons adviser believes men should be put in women’s prisons. And today’s plans would leave women who say biological sex is real completely exposed to being harassed and hounded out of their jobs.

“Kemi Badenoch is the only political leader who has consistently stood up for women’s rights and under her leadership the Conservatives will fight for their protections at every opportunity.”

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Reform Accused Of ‘Dragging Politics Into Gutter’ After Councillor Posts Fake Makerfield Poll

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Reform UK have been accused of “dragging politics into the gutter” after one of the party’s councillors posted a fake opinion poll about the Makerfield by-election.

Sarah Mason claimed Reform and Labour are neck-and-neck on 44% each just over a week out from polling day on June 18.

The councillor's now-deleted tweet.
The councillor’s now-deleted tweet.

She later posted on X: “I thought I’d join in with the made-up polls.”

Mason admitted she had made up the poll.
Mason admitted she had made up the poll.

Mason, who is a councillor in Scarborough, has now deleted her original post after an online backlash.

According to the most recent poll in the seat, Labour’s Andy Burnham is 10 points ahead of Reform’s Robert Kenyon.

Reform’s campaign has been dogged by revelations about Kenyon’s social media history.

It emerged he had shared a series of sexist, anti-vaccine, anti-abortion and pro-Russia comments online over the years – including lewd remarks about presenter Carol Vorderman and confusing statements about whether he even voted for Brexit himself.

A Labour spokesperson said: “Reform are dragging politics into the gutter.

“They’re stooping to new lows online because they know Robert Kenyon isn’t fit to be an MP – yet they won’t admit it.

“Instead of spreading misinformation online they should be forcing their candidate to apologise to the public for the vile comments he’s made about women and disgusting false narratives he’s peddled over the Manchester Arena bombing.

“While Reform continues to be mired in scandal and they reach for desperate underhand tactics, Labour’s Andy Burnham is determined to deliver the investment and fairer future all communities across Makerfield deserve.”

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Reform’s Nadhim Zahawi Slammed Over ‘Disgraceful’ Defence Of Kemi Badenoch Attack Ad

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Nadhim Zahawi has been condemned over his “disgraceful” attempts to defend a Reform UK ad attacking Kemi Badenoch which has been widely criticised as misleading.

The former Tory, who defected to Nigel Farage’s party earlier this year, insisted there was nothing wrong with the controversial social media post, which was produced following the jailing of Henry Nowak’s killed.

The 18-year-old was handcuffed and arrested by police as he lay dying after being wrongly accused of racism by his killer, Vickram Digwa.

Digwa, a British-born Sikh, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 21 years at Southampton Crown Court last Monday.

Farage has said the case is an example of “two-tier policing” and anti-white discrimination.

The Reform ad showed a quote from 2020 in which Badenoch said “black lives do matter”, alongside a partial quote she gave this week in which she said “I don’t care about white lives matter”.

However, her full quote, which she gave in an interview on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, was: “I don’t want to hear about Black Lives Matter. I don’t want to hear about White Lives Matter. Everyone matters.”

On Sky News on Sunday morning, presenter Trevor Phillips asked Zahawi if someone at Reform “is getting sacked” for the ad.

He replied: “In 2020, she said black lives do matter. In 2026, she says I don’t care about black lives matter or white lives matter. Why? Because she finds it hard to talk about a white boy who bled out on the street.”

But Phillips told him that was “clearly a misrepresentation of what she said”.

“Are you telling me that this is ok,” he asked in reference to the advert.

Zahawi said: “It’s her words, that’s what she said. Why is it so different when it’s a white boy, that we’re all so frightened of upsetting anyone?”

The presenter hit back: “This is not you at all. You’re doing what all the others do. You are inventing your own question and answering it.

“You’re not answering the question I asked you, which is ’is this a fair representation of what Kemi Badenoch said ir not?”

Zahawi said: “I would have more respect for Kemi Badenoch if she said ’by the way, in 2020 I was wrong.”

Social media users slammed the former Tory chancellor.

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