Reform UK's Birmingham conference has been branded a disaster, with the fallout from a donor scandal and repeated climate protests overshadowing leader Nigel Farage's address. The event, which runs until Saturday, has been compared to Theresa May's ill-fated conference appearance, when she lost her voice and saw her backdrop collapse.
Donor scandal rocks conference
The party dismissed Channel 4's sting as a hoax and a distraction, but less than 12 hours later it was serious enough for them to launch an investigation and for two very senior figures in Farage's orbit to step down. Farage threw one of his longest-serving and closest aides, Dan Jukes, under the bus, dismissing him as a "contractor".
Despite attempts to carry on, the donor drama was all anyone was talking about, and the mood among delegates was described as "suitably glum". An automatic banner poking fun at Farage's £5m gift unfurled itself at the back of the stage during deputy leader Richard Tice's speech, apparently intended for the leader's address but thwarted by the programme running late.
Protests and comparisons to May
Farage's speech was repeatedly interrupted by climate protesters. As party conference disasters go, it was right up there with Theresa May's lost voice, disintegrating backdrop and being handed a P45 by a comedian.
One more day of chaos remains on Saturday.
