Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Reform UK membership surpasses Conservative Party for the first time

A digital counter on the Reform UK website displayed a membership figure exceeding 131,680, surpassing the Conservatives’ last declared total during their leadership election earlier this year.

Nigel-Farage-Getty

Nigel Farage called the milestone a 'historic moment.' (Photo: Getty Images)

MEMBERSHIP of the Reform UK party has surpassed that of the Conservative Party for the first time, the party announced on Thursday.

Nigel Farage, Reform UK leader and a key figure in the Brexit movement, called the milestone a "historic moment."


The shift comes after the July general election, where immigration was a key issue, and the Conservatives were voted out of power after 14 years.

A digital counter on the Reform UK website displayed a membership figure exceeding 131,680, surpassing the Conservatives’ last declared total during their leadership election earlier this year.

Farage wrote on X, formerly Twitter: "The youngest political party in British politics has just overtaken the oldest political party in the world. Reform UK are now the real opposition."

Zia Yusuf, Reform UK's chairman, described the achievement as a sign that the Conservatives’ long-standing dominance over the centre-right has been broken.

The Conservative Party’s last declared membership figure was its lowest on record, down from around 172,000 in 2022.

Reform UK secured five seats in the 650-seat UK parliament during the July election, taking about 14 per cent of the total vote.

The party’s gains came at the expense of the Conservatives, splitting the right-wing vote and attracting former Tory supporters in key areas.

Labour won the election by a landslide, though Prime Minister Keir Starmer has faced challenges in his first five months in office. A recent Ipsos poll showed that 53 percent of Britons are "disappointed" with Labour’s performance so far.

British politics has historically been dominated by Labour and the Conservatives, but some commentators note that major parties in the past have faced lasting declines in popularity.

The divided Liberal Party, for instance, lost its status as a major opposition force after World War I, replaced by Labour.

Earlier this month, Farage mentioned that he was in discussions with tech billionaire Elon Musk about potential donations to Reform UK.

(With inputs from AFP)

More For You

british-muslims

The initiative aims to track incidents, raise awareness of hate crime, and provide better victim support.

iStock)

Government announces fund to combat anti-Muslim hate

THE UK government has announced a new fund to monitor anti-Muslim hate and support victims, with applications opening on 7 April.

The initiative aims to track incidents, raise awareness of hate crime, and provide better victim support.

Keep ReadingShow less
Asian drug dealer known as 'starkcake' jailed for 18 years

Heemal Vaid (Photo: NCA)

Asian drug dealer known as 'starkcake' jailed for 18 years

A 49-year-old Asian drug dealer who masterminded the import and sale of cocaine and heroin worth more than £4 million has been jailed for 18 years, after National Crime Agency (NCA) investigators identified him from secret phone messages.

British Indian Heemal Vaid, of Cheam, used EncroChat – an encrypted phone service for criminals – to broker deals, unaware that in 2020, an international law enforcement team would crack EncroChat’s encryption.

Keep ReadingShow less
Comment: How migration matters in Labour’s economic plans

The Starmer administration is using increasingly hawkish language on immigration

Comment: How migration matters in Labour’s economic plans

GOING for growth is a core mission for prime minister Sir Keir Starmer’s government.

So cutting the growth forecast for this year in half to one per cent was an inauspicious start to chancellor Rachel Reeves’ spring statement. The projection remains below two per cent through the parliament.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump

Trump announced a series of tariff increases targeting various nations, including key US allies such as the UK and the European Union.

Getty Images

Trump’s tariffs hit global markets, Starmer warns of 'economic impact'

The UK and other global economies reacted on Thursday to US president Donald Trump's newly imposed tariffs, with prime minister Keir Starmer warning of an “economic impact” from the 10 per cent levy on British exports.

Trump announced a series of tariff increases targeting various nations, including key US allies such as the UK and the European Union.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sri Lanka forms committee to address UK sanctions
Anura Kumara Dissanayake

Sri Lanka forms committee to address UK sanctions

THE Sri Lanka government on Wednesday (2) formed a committee to recommend measures regarding the UK's decision to impose sanctions on three former military commanders who led the campaign that crushed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2009.

Health minister Nalinda Jayatissa told reporters that foreign minister Vijitha Herath, justice minister Harshana Nanayakkara and deputy minister of defence Aruna Jayasekara would comprise the committee that would consult experts for the purpose.

Keep ReadingShow less