Renowned Brexiteer, Nigel Farage has thrown down the gauntlet to the UK’s primary opposition, the Conservative Party, to conduct a thorough examination of its membership numbers. This challenge comes in the wake of Farage’s assertion that his fledgling political party, Reform UK, has surpassed the Conservatives in terms of membership.
During the recent holiday period, Farage claimed that Reform UK was the “genuine opposition”. He unveiled a sophisticated “ticker” to keep track of new members and proclaimed that his party had exceeded the 131,680 membership mark, a figure previously disclosed by the Conservatives during their leadership election in November.
The winner of that election, Kemi Badenoch, swiftly accused Farage of manipulating support levels on social media, suggesting that the membership tracker was set to increase automatically. Farage retorted by stating that he would permit one of the major accountancy firms to scrutinize Reform’s membership, provided the Conservatives agreed to the same. He also mentioned that he received several tips from disgruntled Conservatives alleging that ballots were sent to inactive or resigned members during the leadership race. The Conservative Party has not yet responded to Farage’s challenge.
Reform UK managed to make a significant impact during the recent summer election, securing 4 million votes and five parliamentary seats. The party now has its sights set on the ruling Labour Party and recent polls indicate Reform UK could surpass Keir Starmer’s party.
The verbal sparring between Reform UK and the Conservatives started when Farage, donning a flat cap, attended a traditional Boxing Day fox hunt. He took this opportunity to boast about his party’s achievement in overtaking the Conservatives, in front of his preferred GB News TV channel.
Farage claimed that 15,000 people had paid £25 to join the party in the preceding four days. A video was also released showing the party’s ticker being projected onto the Conservative Party’s headquarters, coloring the street turquoise – the party’s color, along with a message wishing Kemi a “Merry Christmas”.
In response, Badenoch questioned the veracity of these figures, suggesting that Farage’s party had manipulated the data and didn’t understand the nuances of the digital age. Farage fired back, defending his party’s position in British politics and rejecting accusations of fraud.
Reform’s Chair, Zia Yusuf, later provided screenshots as proof of the membership numbers. However, critics were quick to point out that a large membership doesn’t guarantee electoral success, drawing on Jeremy Corbyn’s historical defeat despite having a large Labour Party membership. The upcoming local elections in May will be a true measure of Farage’s ability to convert this support into council seats.
Recent polling data from YouGov in The Times indicates that none of the party leaders are particularly popular with the public. Starmer’s net favorability is -41, with Farage’s at -34 and Badenoch at -31.
