Reform UK has descended into an anarchic end-of-the-pier clown show, with infighting, money troubles, and a suspended member, providing entertainment amid political chaos. Once a vaguely functional political party that knew its audience, Reform was largely a one-man band with Nigel Farage at its centre. MPs accepted they owed their existence to him, and Farage was Reform, with Reform being Farage.
In recent months, however, things have been falling apart. The chaos began when Farage had an uncharacteristic fit of humility and tried to pretend he was only a first among equals with the grandiose announcement of a “shadow cabinet” of four people, largely because that was about as many serious politicians as he had at his disposal. The country took one look at Robert Jenrick, Suella Braverman, Richard Tice, and Zia Yusuf and thought it must be a joke. The idea of any of them in charge of a government department was genuinely terrifying. Zia can’t even get elected as an MP, and it’s doubtful any Reform constituency association wants anything to do with him.
Money troubles and a diversionary byelection
Then came the money troubles. The £5m gift from the crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne that Farage has never satisfactorily managed to explain, other than as the going rate for a lifestyle most of his Clacton constituents could only dream of. There were also financial transactions that originated from Posh George and his mum that were deemed worthy of investigation for money laundering. As for Farage’s decision to call a diversionary byelection, that too has backfired spectacularly. Beating a man with a bin on his head was hardly sticking it to the establishment.
With Farage having taken to lying low, Reform appears to be in freefall. Its latest circus act has been to suspend one of its most prominent members, Tim Montgomerie, and for the row to become public. Montgomerie was about as loyal to Reform as someone who defected from the Tories a while ago could be. He actually believes in what the party is doing, rather than using it for career advancement. For a bright man, Tim has been extraordinarily dim. He thought that when Farage had told him he wanted intelligent voices to challenge his ideas, he had actually meant it, forgetting that Farage is a narcissist who can’t tolerate a word of criticism.
Infighting and a civil war
Montgomerie made no effort to hide his dissatisfaction with Zia Yusuf, in particular not liking the way Yusuf appeared to be enjoying himself when he was announcing ever more extreme ways to control immigration. Taking pleasure in being unpleasant to foreigners is central to Reform’s appeal. When Yusuf suggests he wouldn’t mind firing shots into the small boats or starting a war with France, he is only saying what other members of Reform are thinking.
In the meantime, Yusuf has been rushing on his run, perhaps realising that his time in Reform may be limited and determined to take the party down with him. Just the other day he posted on X that those MPs with the title “right honourable” were generally the most dishonourable people he knew, which can’t have escaped his attention that two of them are Honest Bob and Suella. He is starting his own civil war. It’s catching on, albeit in Richard Tice’s case almost certainly by accident. Because Farage’s silence has allowed Tice to imagine he has a mind of his own, which he doesn’t. That’s why he has been holding press conferences in which he has been happy to embarrass himself and make Reform look stupid, for instance, by appearing to welcome the climate crisis with the suggestion we should all be taking advantage of the drought by embracing food insecurity and increased deaths among the over-60s.
