Reform UK hits major membership milestone

Nigel Farage declared that Reform UK is now the “real opposition” to Labour after his party’s membership overtook the Conservatives.

The insurgent party passed the 131,680 Tory members this morning to become the second largest in Britain.

Reform leader Mr Farage said: “This is a big, historic moment. The youngest political party in British politics has just overtaken the oldest political party in the world. Reform UK are now the real opposition.”

The party’s chairman Zia Yusuf added: “History has been made today, as the centuries-long stranglehold on the centre-right of British politics by the Tories has finally been broken.

“Nigel Farage will be the next Prime Minister, and will return Britain to greatness.”

The rebranded Brexit Party marked the milestone by projecting the number 131,680 onto the Conservative Campaign Headquarters in London on Wednesday night.

Reform last week launched a live ticker on its website showing the number of people who had joined.

The party offered a reduced fee of £10, down from £25, for under 25s in a bid to draw in younger supporters.

The Tories have seen a drop in members in recent years from 141,725 when Liz Truss was elected as leader in 2022 to 131,680 when Kemi Badenoch took charge in November.

It comes as Mr Farage’s upstart party has been gaining momentum with a series of defections.

Billionaire property tycoon Nick Candy, who is married to pop star Holly Valance, resigned his Conservative Party membership earlier this month to become Reform’s treasurer.

Ex-Tory minister Dame Andrea Jenkyns will stand as Reform’s candidate to be mayor of Greater Lincolnshire next May.

Conservative MP Suella Braverman’s husband Rael Braverman also jumped ship to campaign for Reform.

Questions were raised over Reform’s membership when Dame Andrea was announced by Mr Farage as the 100,000th person to join at a press conference when she defected in November.

However, a video was later posted of Reform MP Lee Anderson going for a pint with a new member called Andy who was also said to be the 100,000th.

A Conservative Party spokesman said: “Reform has delivered a Labour government that has cruelly cut winter fuel winter payments for 10 million pensioners, put the future of family farming and food security at risk, and launched a devastating raid on jobs which will leave working people paying the price.

“A vote for Reform this coming May is a vote for a Labour council – only the Conservatives can stop this.”