Important Note: The writer went to this conference as an observer and was given a media pass as a blog writer for this website. No attempt was made to give a false impression to Reform UK that the writer was a potential convert to Reform UK’s manifesto or a potential defector from the Conservative party.
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My first observation was that this was not really a conference. There no special interest stalls, no fringe meetings and not any Q & A sessions from the floor. The event could certainly be described as a rally and bearing in mind there have been several other such ‘conferences’ in different regions of the country, there was something of the feel of a roadshow.
The afternoon comprised of eight speakers, each of whom (with the exception of Nigel Farage) was given a formal introduction. For the most part, there was nothing said by any speaker which has not already been widely put about via the media. The key themes remained the same, namely controlling immigration, restoring national pride and identity and growing the economy. However, another key theme was the ongoing issue of the Asian Grooming gangs (or as Reform UK would call them, the Pakistani Rape gangs).
The event got going with a rousing speech by Party Chairman Zia Yussuf, full of strong rhetoric and giving a good summary of what the party was about. Inevitably, there were no details on how the stated aims would be delivered but one policy statement really deserved some explanation as to how Reform might achieve it, with no subsequent speakers giving any more details; namely, how on earth does Reform UK expect to be able to return illegal immigrants to their country of origin if in most cases, those countries will simply refuse to accept them?
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All the speakers, in one way or another, kept to the aforementioned 3 key themes, coupled with comments about the growth of support for the party and its rising national profile. It is certainly hard to argue that the five Reform UK MP’s don’t punch above their weight in getting media attention. Naturally, there was criticism of the two main parties not having resolved some long standing problems (notably immigration) but this gave rise to a recurring jibe about the ‘Uni-party’, inferring there is in real terms no difference between Conservative and Labour governments. How anyone can seriously believe that in the light of Labour’s attacks on Employers with the huge increase in their contribution to NI coupled with the potentially devasting effect on the farming community is hard to see and perhaps this jibe is best dismissed as simple political rhetoric.5>
Perhaps the most important takeaway for myself as a Conservative was that there was virtually nothing I heard that I disagreed with. Rather than that make me into a supporter of Reform UK, it made me wonder just how different at heart is the party to the Conservatives when it comes down to core values and ideas! No Conservative would have disagreed with the Blackpool councillor who decried the dissing of Winston Churchill and there was repeated insistence on the importance of supporting private enterprise. As Richard Tice pointed out, not a single member of the Cabinet has ever had a job in private industry!
Reform UK is not The Conservative Party! One key difference not referred to once at the Conference is that the Conservatives back Ukraine to the hilt whereas Nigel Farage seems to share Trump’s view that Putin’s aggression should somehow be rewarded with a slice of the country he has invaded. However, the shared key values of supporting business and love of Britain’s identity and place in the world would, I suggest, mean that there is more that unites us than divides us. If that is the case, to fight Reform UK head-on in every seat at the next General Election risks letting Labour in with an easy ride. Now is not the time to talk about some kind of pact or agreement but if Reform UK keeps growing on its current trajectory (and all indications suggest they will), it is vital that the two main Right-of-Centre Parties do not give Labour another huge majority; the country won’t stand it!
John Waterhouse