> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.opendemocracy.net/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Banned from Reform’s conference, we still have a scoop! - URL: https://www.opendemocracy.net/weekly-email-050926/ - Published: 2026-09-05T05:30:53.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-05T05:30:53.000Z - Description: openDemocracy Weekly Newsletter 5 September 2026 - Author: openDemocracy - Tags: Newsletter, Lobbying, Reform UK, Gaza, Donald Trump, climate crisis, Andy Burnham, Food and Rural Affairs, Labour, Ministry of Defence Our plan for this week was to report from Reform’s conference in Birmingham, but our reporter Ethan Shone was banned from the event – much like Anna Isaac from The Guardian, veteran broadcaster Michael Crick, and our former editor, Peter Geoghegan. You know who has been invited? French far-right leader Jordan Bardella, the protégé of Marine Le Pen. Tempting as it is to write this off as the new normal in an age of political dysfunction, Reform's decision to cherry-pick media coverage is the latest sign that this is a party with little interest in democracy, except as a means to grab power. As citizens, we must avoid this normalisation by calling it what it is: censorship. If Nigel Farage thinks banning independent, investigative journalists from his conference will somehow shield his party from scrutiny, he’s wrong. A group of undercover journalists at Verbatim Investigations have just released extraordinary footage of what appears to be the latest evidence of Reform officials breaking the law on political donations by surreptitiously getting a US-based firm to pay for polling commissioned by party aides. The footage also seemingly shows Reform aides discussing how to circumvent laws on foreign donations. Farage has denied all wrongdoing. We’re including a link to the footage in our newsletter, and I urge you all to watch it. That said, you can’t keep a good man down. This week Ethan has a scoop on Reform councillor Jonathan Gullis’s side hustle as a lobbyist, and an analysis of Reform’s latest big-money donors. We also have openDemocracy reporter Sian Norris’s analysis of Reform’s summer of scandal. Sian, you may recall, spent some time this summer looking into the party’s operations in Montenegro. The next election is only three years away, and we are determined to keep exposing Reform and prevent the rise of the far right. To do that, we want to recruit 500 new monthly donors by the end of 2026\. We've welcomed 120 so far – but we still have a long way to go ****Will you be part of the movement to fight the far right, with a monthly donation today?** [Become a regular supporter ](#/portal/signup) Also in this issue, Paul Rogers on Reform’s cracks and Labour’s traps, openDemocracy’s movements editor Nandini Naira Archer on Africa and the far-right, and Fazilet Hadi, the head of policy at Disability Rights, on Reform’s dark plans for Disabled people. A massive thank you to all our new regular donors. We are now a third of the way to our goal of adding 500 new regular donors by the end of the year. Help Ethan buy a top hat, fake moustache and oversized sunglasses so he can sneak into Reform’s conference next year; become a regular donor today! (No, seriously, investigative journalism is painstaking work and we cannot do it without you.) Have a great weekend, **Aman Sethi, editor-in-chief** --- [Reform’s conference is clearest sign yet of Trumpism in the UKFrom banned reporters to love-ins with business, the scandal-hit event offers troubling glimpse into a Farage government![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3f/80/3f804bea-4b2d-4ddf-9ff0-6ec7d0afa5fa/content/images/icon/multi_solo-71955e5d-5d03-4ced-9a11-f8c109989dfb.png)openDemocracyEthan Shone![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3f/80/3f804bea-4b2d-4ddf-9ff0-6ec7d0afa5fa/content/images/thumbnail/GettyImages-2267718078-4a62f1c3-d440-40c1-92bd-2a519323e93f.jpg)](https://www.opendemocracy.net/reforms-conference-is-clearest-sign-yet-of-trumpism-in-the-uk/) [Ex-Tory MP-turned-Reform councillor landed lobbying job after defectingIn October 2024, things weren’t looking good for Jonathan Gullis. The former MP and Conservative Party deputy chair had been unable to find work as a teacher, his old profession, since losing his parliamentary seat at the general election months earlier. “I think that in some schools, with some![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3f/80/3f804bea-4b2d-4ddf-9ff0-6ec7d0afa5fa/content/images/icon/multi_solo-55a20b7b-8429-480b-b1e2-bd4f0b219b84.png)openDemocracyEthan Shone![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3f/80/3f804bea-4b2d-4ddf-9ff0-6ec7d0afa5fa/content/images/thumbnail/GettyImages-2291309731-1-18c14faa-f6e5-4089-ae0b-a9e9358bc4a4.jpg)](https://www.opendemocracy.net/ex-tory-mp-turned-reform-councillor-landed-lobbying-job-after-defecting/) [Who funds Reform? Farage’s party bags £15m from crypto and finance donorsReform has accepted more large donations than any other party in 2026, despite mounting funding scandals, new data shows![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3f/80/3f804bea-4b2d-4ddf-9ff0-6ec7d0afa5fa/content/images/icon/multi_solo-d8f98271-9f0c-4d28-9619-04a48a35a6a0.png)openDemocracyEthan Shone![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3f/80/3f804bea-4b2d-4ddf-9ff0-6ec7d0afa5fa/content/images/thumbnail/GettyImages-2292885994--1--f9645e52-6a01-49a0-81f2-76f5489ad5aa.jpg)](https://www.opendemocracy.net/who-funds-reform-farages-party-bags-15m-from-crypto-and-finance-donors/) [Can Reform survive its summer of scandal?In July, openDemocracy went to Montenegro to report on Reform backer “Posh George”. Here’s what happened next![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3f/80/3f804bea-4b2d-4ddf-9ff0-6ec7d0afa5fa/content/images/icon/multi_solo-2d0b3582-2bc8-45be-ae6f-08ef3240a3bc.png)openDemocracySian Norris![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3f/80/3f804bea-4b2d-4ddf-9ff0-6ec7d0afa5fa/content/images/thumbnail/Photo-by-Franc--ois-WALSCHAERTS---AFP-via-Getty-Images-30f55bb1-174c-4a2a-af66-60810349192b.jpg)](https://www.opendemocracy.net/can-reform-survive-its-summer-of-scandal/) [Reform UK has a new target in its sights: Disabled peopleWith its discriminatory plans for PIP and social housing, Farage’s party has made clear that we’re not part of its gang![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3f/80/3f804bea-4b2d-4ddf-9ff0-6ec7d0afa5fa/content/images/icon/multi_solo-a94c8382-0869-4f1e-b37f-266a959601f7.png)openDemocracyFazilet Hadi![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3f/80/3f804bea-4b2d-4ddf-9ff0-6ec7d0afa5fa/content/images/thumbnail/GettyImages-2290304392-05bfbc53-7645-41a5-ad09-3a55133e75e4.jpg)](https://www.opendemocracy.net/reform-uk-new-target-disabled-people-personal-independence-payment-social-housing/) [Reform’s cracks, Labour’s traps, and the progressive path forwardA summer of Reform scandals and a new leader have given Labour an edge – if it can resolve three key battles![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3f/80/3f804bea-4b2d-4ddf-9ff0-6ec7d0afa5fa/content/images/icon/multi_solo-1cfb57b4-6091-4428-b603-f36c126d5580.png)openDemocracyPaul Rogers![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3f/80/3f804bea-4b2d-4ddf-9ff0-6ec7d0afa5fa/content/images/thumbnail/GettyImages-2293143136-cd399770-c6bd-4c86-8658-685fad798f7e.jpg)](https://www.opendemocracy.net/reforms-cracks-polls-labour-andy-burnham-progressive-path-forward/) [Does Africa have a far right? It’s complicatedFrom political homophobia to anti-Western populism, Africa’s right doesn’t fit neatly into familiar Western boxes![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3f/80/3f804bea-4b2d-4ddf-9ff0-6ec7d0afa5fa/content/images/icon/multi_solo-f2f56104-4de0-401b-bbc6-a357517e0f43.png)openDemocracyNandini Naira Archer![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3f/80/3f804bea-4b2d-4ddf-9ff0-6ec7d0afa5fa/content/images/thumbnail/GettyImages-2284736593-185ed38e-fe8e-4096-b857-6719a5b92916.jpg)](https://www.opendemocracy.net/does-africa-have-a-far-right-its-complicated/) [Tech bros will tell you that geoengineering will save us, it won’tAs the latest UNEP reports we will blow past 1.5°C, we must prioritise solutions that work, rather than focusing on complex, unproven technologies![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3f/80/3f804bea-4b2d-4ddf-9ff0-6ec7d0afa5fa/content/images/icon/multi_solo-962275e8-fc84-4363-825e-8be91118cc3e.png)openDemocracyElla Gilbert![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3f/80/3f804bea-4b2d-4ddf-9ff0-6ec7d0afa5fa/content/images/thumbnail/GettyImages-988579528-87725358-a45b-4eb1-ae74-b31641d6884d.jpg)](https://www.opendemocracy.net/tech-bros-will-tell-you-that-geoengineering-will-save-us-it-wont/) [My Year Undercover in Reform UKBekijk je favoriete video’s, luister naar de muziek die je leuk vindt, upload originele content en deel alles met vrienden, familie en anderen op YouTube.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3f/80/3f804bea-4b2d-4ddf-9ff0-6ec7d0afa5fa/content/images/icon/favicon_144x144-62e48fe5-e735-4cef-ac11-d3e5cf32c0a6.png)YouTubeVerbatim Investigations![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3f/80/3f804bea-4b2d-4ddf-9ff0-6ec7d0afa5fa/content/images/thumbnail/hqdefault-aecbec3e-9ca9-40e3-b01d-f570c02c5d7e.jpg)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RugPik-G1Jw&ref=opendemocracy.net) --- [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3f/80/3f804bea-4b2d-4ddf-9ff0-6ec7d0afa5fa/content/images/2026/09/Changed-my-mind-FB-post--8---1-.png)](https://www.tickettailor.com/events/placeforhope/2391338?ref=opendemocracy.net) Join us for an exclusive **live recording** of *Changed My Mind*, the podcast that explores the thinking behind serious shifts of opinion. This panel discussion will feature Rosemarie Mallet, the bishop of Croydon, Aman Sethi, the editor-in-chief of openDemocracy, Alison Goldsworthy, the CEO of The Depolarisation Project, and Laura Osborne, the managing director of WPI Economics. You can get a flavour of *Changed My Mind* by listening to the [podcast](https://www.opendemocracy.net/cmmpod) or via this [article](https://www.opendemocracy.net/leor-zmigrod-political-violence-self-defence/). [Join us live](https://www.tickettailor.com/events/placeforhope/2391338?ref=opendemocracy.net) --- ## Weekly Poll ### Will Reform recover from its latest scandal? | [Vote and see results →](https://www.opendemocracy.net/weekly-email-050926/?jump=poll) | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --- ## Reader Comments openDemocracy receives so many carefully considered messages about our work that it seems a shame to keep them to ourselves. These comments are edited for clarity, accuracy and length, and are not a reflection of openDemocracy's editorial position. > I’m starting to shift my mood. I’m starting to shift my diet. I’m starting to shift my environment. And I’m starting to shift my politics. All those shifts are starting to look like possibilities and realities. **Mgease | Re:** [**Climate Breakdown is here: Why won’t governments act?**](https://www.opendemocracy.net/climate-breakdown-is-here-why-wont-governments-act/) --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3f/80/3f804bea-4b2d-4ddf-9ff0-6ec7d0afa5fa/content/images/2026/09/Allendesupporters_1JDtaK4-1776367186682.jpg) Chilean workers in 1964 ## This week in history **Salvador Allende • 11 September 1973** More than 50 years after his death, Salvador Allende, the first democratically chosen Marxist leader in Latin America, remains a hero of the left, of the poor and of the underprivileged. A tenacious leader, he secured Chile’s top political post on his fourth attempt following his election in September 1970\. Despite his Marxist credentials, Allende was quintessentially a Chilean nationalist who committed his life’s work to the betterment of his fellow countrymen and countrywomen, and to freedom from economic dependence or servitude to any outside power. [Remembering Salvador AllendeOn September 11, 1973, the democratically elected President of Chile, Salvador Allende, died during a US-backed coup d’état. 40 years on, Allende is of critical importance to those of the left, the poor and the underprivileged.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3f/80/3f804bea-4b2d-4ddf-9ff0-6ec7d0afa5fa/content/images/icon/multi_solo-65244c92-4b57-435b-8dd5-35f5f3532b4c.png)openDemocracySenan Fox![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3f/80/3f804bea-4b2d-4ddf-9ff0-6ec7d0afa5fa/content/images/thumbnail/oDMeta-2825b806-975a-4bf7-b584-a92e42b88856.jpg)](https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/remembering-salvador-allende/) --- ## What we're reading ### [**Reds - A Global History of Communism**](https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/reds-a-global-history-of-communism-paul-mason/8d4837aaf5aac175?ean=9781035905904&bkshp-astro=t&ref=opendemocracy.net)**, Paul Mason** It takes a seriously good writer to turn a 500-page history of global communism into a gripping page–turner, one that reads like dispatches from the streets of Paris and St Petersburg, that challenges your preconceptions, and demands you fight for a better future. Mason is that writer. He combines academic rigour with journalistic flair, so the reader viscerally experiences the battles on the barricades, the fierce intellectual fights at the International conferences, the sacrifice and victory in the Jarama trenches, and the cruel violence of Leninism and Stalinism. Reds shows why people believed in communism and socialism, why people revolted and fought for a more equal society. But Mason refuses to shy away from where it all went wrong and how. He urges us not to forget how communism became authoritarianism, drawing on primary sources that witnessed the horrors of the Holodomor, the purges, and the Great Leap Forward. The chapter on World War Two is a fascinating and fresh view on a history you think you know. What’s more, he demands we learn the lessons of what went wrong, so that we can defeat the authoritarians of today. *Sian Norris, senior investigations reporter* ---