Reform UK is facing a deepening crisis, with Labour pulling ahead in the polls, Nigel Farage's approval rating at a near-record low, and internal conflict erupting after home affairs chief Zia Yusuf branded a former Tory minister and veteran a “traitor”.
In a sign of the fear spreading throughout the party, Farage skipped his own by-election count, perhaps scared of being photographed by a bin, while a key Farage ally, Tim Montgomerie, was suspended seemingly for criticising the party for being too thin skinned.
Press conference fails to stem the tide
In a bid to reclaim the narrative, rattled Reform held a press conference on Thursday setting out plans to ban all foreign students from claiming taxpayer-funded student loans, and by scrapping “Mickey Mouse” degrees. They say this can help fund apprenticeships, but the problem is, it’s an idea, not a plan.
Despite a 20-page document on how they would fund this “Apprenticeship Wage Credit”, the reality is they don’t actually know the true cost, nor did they discuss the importance of foreign students to university funding. This led to tetchy exchanges with journalists, as Richard Tice and Suella Braverman grew frustrated that they faced questions over the policy.
After a BBC journalist pointed out student loans count as borrowing, so the policy would be funded by borrowing, Mr Tice responded that “cash is cash”, and he could give the hack an economics lesson afterwards.
Legal risks and unanswered questions
Just minutes after this, the pair admitted axing funds for foreign students risked a legal battle with the EU, but could not say how much it would cost, or whether the costs had been calculated at all. In an attempt to dismiss legitimate questions, Mr Tice insisted: “You talk about costs, I talk about opportunity”. Much like Ms Braverman’s former colleague Liz Truss, the party is running on blind optimism rather than a plan.
There was a time where Reform press conferences might have 30 journalists in the room, here they were lucky if it was 30 people. As the confidence of a Reform Government fades, so has the interest. GB News didn’t even bother showing it live.
Reform struggles to stay relevant
This is the problem for Reform, as Britain moves slowly towards the next election. Andy Burnham has shown he can do things, taking swift action to deliver change people can feel immediately. Reform is just saying things, and a long way from being in a position to do them.
That distance is felt more when it’s in areas Labour has already set out its priorities. The new PM has talked about the need for more jobs based around skills, has stressed the importance of reindustrialisation, and steps have been taken to end the Neets crisis. Reform’s policies at the moment seem to be right-wing versions of Government policies announced months prior, attacking Labour for issues it’s already made moves to address. The concern for Reform will not just be the bad policy. But that fewer and fewer people are listening to it.
