Reform UK, the party that emerged from the ashes of the Brexit Party almost three years ago, has been consistently polling at around 6%, putting it in fourth place just ahead of the Green Party. Its leader, Richard Tice, has been vocal about his aim to abolish the Conservative Party, claiming that they have broken Britain, and that Labour would bankrupt the country. However, Tice also attacks the Tories’ recent policy shift on achieving net zero and Home Secretary Suella Braverman’s criticism of the UN’s refugee convention, asserting that these changes are a direct response to pressure from the Reform UK.
Reform UK campaigns for the amendment or removal of the 1951 refugee convention, as Tice argues that it is outdated. He has also called for an end to the HS2 project, which he views as a grotesque waste of taxpayers’ money. However, it is net zero carbon emissions that Tice believes could get his party the most attention. He has called on Chancellor Rishi Sunak to hold a referendum on net zero, which he claims the Tories have refused to do out of fear of losing.
Despite consistently polling at 6%, Reform UK has yet to achieve electoral success. In the May local elections, the party performed badly. Tice rules out any deal-making with the Conservatives, stating that Reform UK will stand 630 candidates in England, Scotland, and Wales, one for every seat, and that no seat will be given up to anyone else. This approach may be difficult, as smaller parties such as Reform UK will likely face challenges getting MPs elected at Westminster without proportional representation.
Reform UK is neither left nor right, according to Tice, who criticizes Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt for embracing consocialism, labelling them no different from the Labour Party’s socialism. In contrast, Tice expresses sympathy towards Liz Truss’s plan of tax cuts and growth, stating that the politician’s error was not linking it with cuts to wasteful government spending. Tice’s strategy is to attack the mainstream political consensus, in the hope that Reform UK can attract those disenchanted with conventional politics. He hopes that his party will represent a different alternative to the citizens of the UK
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