Reform UK is positioning itself as the primary challenger to Labour, with Nigel Farage driving plans to transform the party into a significant far-right force. The party now boasts nearly 100,000

members, has made gains in council by-elections, and is performing well in recent polls.

Farage has drawn inspiration from Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential election, stating that Britain should “roll out the red carpet” for Trump. Reform UK’s deputy leader, Richard Tice, echoed this sentiment, describing Trump’s win as a “comprehensive rejection of the status quo” and highlighting voter frustration with traditional politicians.

The party has recently celebrated electoral successes, such as winning a council seat in Wyre, near Blackpool, from the Tories, capturing support from both Conservative and Labour voters. In another Blackpool council by-election, Labour narrowly retained its seat with 31.5 percent of the vote, a significant drop of 16.5 percentage points. Reform UK followed closely with 30.7 percent, while the Tory vote fell by 29 percentage points to 22 percent.

Reform UK also secured third place in a recent council by-election in Scotland, where the Tories won with 36 percent following the withdrawal of an Independent incumbent. Notably, Reform UK surged to 26 percent despite having no previous presence.

Zia Yusuf, chair of Reform UK, expressed the party’s ambition to strengthen its ground campaign and make inroads in local and devolved elections in Wales and Scotland ahead of the next general election. This commitment was underscored by the party’s recent Welsh conference, where right-wing commentator and former academic Matt Goodwin claimed Reform UK represented the “forgotten majority” akin to Trump’s base.

Recent polling funded by Brexit financier Arron Banks indicated Reform UK’s growing support in Wales, placing the party at 20 percent. Welsh Labour stood at 30 percent, Plaid Cymru at 21 percent, and the Tories at 17 percent. Farage positioned Reform UK as “the main challenger to Labour in Wales” and criticized Welsh Labour for repeated failures.

The party’s insiders are aiming for significant representation in the Welsh parliament by 2026, with a target of at least 16 seats. Though Reform UK did not secure any MPs in Wales in the recent general election, it placed second in 13 out of 32 constituencies and garnered 16.9 percent of the vote.

Farage has outlined a strategy inspired by the Liberal Democrats’ grassroots approach. “The Liberal Democrats build branches and win seats at district, council, and unitary levels,” he said at the Reform UK conference in September. “They distribute literature in target areas, and we must adopt this model.” Polling expert Luke Tryl suggested that if Reform UK achieved “Lib-Dem style efficiency,” it could potentially secure around 50 seats.

In response to the rise of Reform UK and the broader far-right movement, anti-racist organizations are mobilizing. Stand Up To Racism (SUTR) is hosting a summit in central London next Saturday to strategize and discuss countering this threat.

Samira Ali, SUTR’s national organiser, emphasized the importance of resisting the far-right surge, particularly in light of Trump’s victory. “Trump’s win is a significant boost to racism and the far-right globally,” she said.

“We have seen strong mobilizations against the far right in the past, including our 20,000-strong demonstration against Tommy Robinson in October,” Ali continued. “But the fight is far from over. It’s vital for every anti-racist to attend the SUTR summit next Saturday to plan, debate, and collaborate on the next steps in the resistance.” Photo by Owain.davies, Wikimedia commons.