Key events
Lee Anderson, the Reform UK chair, has attempted to make light of the protests during Nigel Farage’s speech yesterday, where a woman appeared to be assaulted by a mob of Reform supporters (see previous post).
He described it as a “few nuisances”, saying he saw “an old chap” with a walking stick among the chaos. He could be referring to the man pictured here raising a crutch (or a walking stick) while a heckler is dragged out of the conference:
“I don’t condone any sort of that behaviour,” said Anderson. “But if anybody wants to have a quick whip round later, we are collecting for a new walking stick.”
Police appeal after protester appears to be assaulted during Farage speech
Ben Quinn
Police are appealing for a woman who was among the climate activists protesting during Nigel Farage’s speech at Reform’s conference to come forward, after footage appeared to show her being manhandled by people in the crowd.
Security at the event on the outskirts of Birmingham removed several protesters who stood up and heckled the Reform UK leader at intervals during his speech.
Footage which has been circulating on social media shows one of them having her hair pulled by a woman in the crowd, while another person who does not appear to be security puts his hand over the protester’s face.
West Midlands police released a statement on Saturday morning saying: “We’re aware of a video circulating from the Reform UK Conference showing an incident with a protester. We haven’t received a complaint but would ask the woman involved to come forward and contact us so we can carry out enquiries.
“Anyone with any information should contact us on 101 quoting log number 924 of 5 September.”
When asked about the incident, Nadine Dorries, a former Conservative MP who has joined Reform, said sensitivities were “heightened” in the aftermath of the killing of Anne Widdcombe.
“They tried to completely derail the speech. It was an organised sting again,” she told LBC.
“It was a number of people at spaced intervals, they wanted to completely disrupt the speech. That was what was shocking.
“I’m afraid if you’re going to come into a venue with such high security following the murder of Anne Widdicombe, obviously people’s sensitivities are going to be heightened, and I think it was foolish of those people to come into the audience and to try and do what they did, given how nervous people are following Anne’s murder.”
The second and final day of Reform UK’s conference has begun, you can watch live here:
Quarter of Reform supporters want Brexit reversed, poll finds
Peter Walker
A quarter of Reform UK supporters want to rejoin the EU, according to polling carried out to coincide with the party’s ongoing conference in Birmingham.
The study, which was to be set out at a fringe event on Saturday showed some attitudes among Reform backers were unexpected, as with Brexit. But on other subjects, notably immigration, Reform supporters’ views were very similar to what people expected.
The polling, carried out by Opinium for the Policy Institute at King’s College London and UK in a Changing Europe, charted both what Reform supporters believe, and what backers of other party’s think they believe.
In some areas there was a notable gap between the two. While 25% of Reform supporters said they want to see Brexit reversed, the public at large estimated the proportion at just 9%. In contrast, 76% of Reform supporters want to stop all immigration to the UK, close to the guess of 80%.
A more potentially alarming finding for Reform was that they are the party that voters at large most want to stop winning in their area, suggesting the possible damage to Nigel Farage’s party from tactical voting. Overall, 41% of voters named Reform as the party they would want to block.
Such is the strength of feeling that around a third of Labour and Green voters said they would consider voting Conservative tactically to keep Reform out.
Dover port disrupted as dozens of masked men block roads
Meanwhile, police are dealing with an apparent protest by groups of masked men in Dover, which a local councillor said appeared to be a “coordinated” demonstration related to “illegal migration”.
Dozens of men dressed in black and wearing balaclavas were pictured gathered at the port this morning, with the Port of Dover confirming that the disruption is affecting “all routes” in and out of the port, as well as around the town.
Chris Vinson, leader of the Conservative group at Dover District Council, said the protest appeared to be “illegal migration-related”. He told the Press Association:
Overnight, clearly what appears to be several hundred masked men wearing black clothing and balaclavas seem to have coordinated and loaded into rental vans and then descended on roads leading in and out of Dover with the intent to block them, and that’s what they’ve successfully done, and it’s brought the town to a standstill.
There are stacks of people who are stuck in their cars or in their workplaces as a result.”
In a brief statement, Kent police said: “We are aware of a protest currently taking place at the Port of Dover. Officers are in attendance and engaging with protesters.”
Read more:
Jenrick to promise £15,000 income tax threshold
Robert Jenrick is set to unveil a major tax-cutting pledge at Reform UK’s conference today, as the party seeks to shift the focus back to its economic agenda.
PA has the following report:
The party’s treasury spokesman is expected to tell the final day of the Reform conference in Birmingham that he would increase the tax-free personal allowance to £15,000 within the first 100 days of taking office.
The threshold has been set at £12,570 since 2021 and is due to remain there until 2031.
Reform said the plan would save the average taxpayer £500 a year and take 2.9 million people out of income tax altogether, at a cost of £17.7 billion in its first year, rising to £21 billion five years later.
The party has previously said it wants to increase the personal allowance to £20,000, with Mr Jenrick expected to say he will approach the figure “step-by-step” when it is affordable.
Mr Jenrick will also use his speech to set out some £80 billion in spending cuts, primarily through slashing the welfare budget.
He is expected to say: “The hard choice for Burnham and for us is exactly the same. It’s either welfare waste, foreign aid and migrants — or the British worker. We choose the worker.”
Reform UK home affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf spotted at the conference, taking photos with supporters as the event gets under way.
Before we get into today’s events, here’s a look back at the controversy at Reform UK’s conference yesterday.
My colleagues Rowena Mason, Ben Quinn and Pippa Crerar have the full report on a day which saw Nigel Farage attempt to shore up his leadership as the party faced fresh scrutiny over its finances and the suspension of two senior aides.
The report covers the fallout from the undercover investigation, the allegations over potential foreign donations and the divisions emerging within the party. They write:
The row comprehensively overshadowed the first full day of the party’s conference with every Reform politician repeatedly questioned over the scandal.
It also exposed splits at the top of the party, with Zia Yusuf, the party’s home affairs spokesperson, strongly distancing himself from Jukes and Orr. He told reporters “anyone who supports Reform is disappointed”, and added of the investigation: “It’s just not something I am personally involved in.”
He also launched a personal video about his backstory, leading to speculation he could attempt to run for the leadership as a rival to Robert Jenrick or Richard Tice if Farage were to be forced out over his financial scandals.
However, some Reform insiders are convinced Farage will part company with Yusuf before long, partly over his ambition and combative style on social media, including one post on X that saw him accused of racism towards a Somalia-born Labour councillor. Farage is understood to have used a rude term about Yusuf recently in relation to his troublemaking on social media.
Read more:
Opening: turmoil engulfs Reform conference
Morning, and welcome to our UK politics blog. Reform UK’s annual conference continues in Birmingham today, with speeches from Robert Jenrick, Suella Braverman and others, before Nigel Farage takes to the stage for the closing remarks.
The conference has been overshadowed by a scandal involving senior Reform figures caught in an undercover sting discussing potential foreign donations, prompting the suspension of two senior aides and renewed scrutiny of the party’s finances.
Jenrick, Reform’s treasury spokesperson, said James Orr, the party’s head of policy, and Dan Jukes, a close aide to Farage, have been “permanently suspended”, telling Times Radio this morning: “There is obviously due process, and so there is going to be an investigation, and we want to learn all the facts, give them obviously a right of reply.” Neither Orr or Jukes have commented on the allegations.
Violence descended on the conference yesterday during Farage’s speech when hecklers were assaulted by a mob of Reform supporters. The New Arab, which published footage of the incident, reported the protesters could be heard raising the issue of an undeclared £5m gift to Reform, which has become a key focus of controversy surrounding the party. Farage appeared to laugh off the incident, according to the news outlet.
We’ll be bringing you the latest from the conference throughout the day, including the key speeches, reaction and any developments.