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Reform UK opened its annual conference at Birmingham's NEC with 8,000 attendees, a heavy corporate presence and a donations scandal overshadowing Nigel Farage's post-summer reset, as two close aides were suspended over alleged donations rule breaches and approval ratings for the party leader slumped behind those of the Labour prime minister.
Reform UK Leader Nigel Farage stands on the side of the stage on the second day of his party's annual conference at the NEC in Birmingham.
It is just after 9am on Friday at the NEC exhibition centre in Birmingham, and King Richard the Lionheart is queuing for a latte. Reform's 8,000-strong conference crowd is thirsty for caffeine and the baristas cannot keep up with demand. The man decked out in chain mail suit, red cape and crown quips that he could have had another crusade by now.
A leather sheath swings freely from his hip; NEC staff took his sword from him at the security check. His real name is Chris Luck, a Reform member from Bracknell in Berkshire, west of London. When he is not doing full-costume medieval battle re-enactments, he works for a global distribution company. Two of Farage's closest party aides, Dan Jukes and James Orr, have been suspended before breakfast for allegedly trying to flout donations rules.
Yet Luck is keen to get the message out that all the Reform members he knows still back their main man. The party faithful still seem steadfastly behind Farage. But there is no denying that the mood on Friday is dampened by recent revelations broadcast by Channel 4. Assailed by negative press, Farage's approval ratings among the public at large have plummeted since last year, and are now well behind those of the Labour prime minister.
Last year, when Reform was on the march, the party faithful were giddy. Now, they seem more skittish. Luck insists Nigel is treated so unfairly by the media and calls critics traitors. The latest donations row has overshadowed the conference and complicated Farage's plans for a post-summer reset, but ordinary members try to make the best of it.
The cavernous NEC exhibition hall has been transformed for their annual jamboree. The carpets are turquoise, the party's official colour. A queue has already formed for the helicopter simulator, which will not open for another hour. The bar opens with it.
Party members queue to sign a condolence book at a memorial wall for Ann Widdecombe, the party grandee who was murdered on July 8th. Nearby, others stop to laugh inside the entrance at a mocked-up shop styled as a Labour convenience store slagging off the government party. Across the hall, people head out to an enclosed smoking area, indicated by an enormous sign of such prominence that invites the suspicion it might be performative.
A Jewish man wearing a kippah walks through the crowd bearing an Israeli flag, receiving high fives all along his route. Everywhere are Union Jack picnic benches, Union Jack barrels doubling as beer tables, attendees in Union Jack jackets and debate panellists on stages revealing Union Jack socks. The conference officially opened for members on Friday, but Thursday was an exclusive business day. There is a growing corporate presence at Reform events.
A fixture at recent annual conferences is a Heathrow-sponsored lounge, which can also be found at almost every political party conference in Britain. The expansion-seeking airport covets good relationships with all as it plots a new runway. Some attendees, mostly corporate executives and a few membership ultras, have paid more than £3,000 plus VAT for a platinum pass. It gives exclusive access to a champagne breakfast with Nigel.
Tickets for Thursday evening's business dinner were £395 a plate. About 600 executives showed up earlier that day to hear from former property developer turned deputy leader Richard Tice, and also Robert Jenrick, Reform's shadow chancellor. He promised £80 billion of public spending cuts if Reform wins power
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