Nigel Farage tried and failed seven times to win a parliamentary seat with his previous political vehicles, UKIP and The Brexit Party. It was only last year, three decades after his first attempt — that he finally secured a spot on the Commons’ green benches as an MP for his latest venture, the Reform Party.
Ten months on, he and Reform are going from strength to strength, with the party having developed into a political structure that could seriously disrupt the two-party system at the UK’s next general election in 2029.
Today, Reform has a strong membership base, a firm foothold in Parliament and a growing host of donors with very deep pockets. Following the local elections held across England last week, it controls ten local authorities, two mayoralties and boasts five MPs. From the Tory shires to the post-industrial ‘Labour strongholds’ in the north, the party can win almost anywhere, it seems.
