They won’t get any seats – but Reform and Nigel Farage could still make election trouble for the Tories

Rishi Sunak’s warnings against the ex-Ukip leader’s outfit reveal a nervousness it will cost the Conservatives dearly – just when they need a lifeline, writes Kate Devlin

In 2019, Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party stood only in seats where Labour was the main competition (Getty)

What’s in a name? Political ambition, perhaps. Last month, Reform UK subtly tweaked its name.

In future it is to be known as Reform UK: The Brexit Party. A shift that shows it hopes voters will remember its previous incarnation and vote for it again.

Why would that matter? After all, Reform may have hit double figures in some recent polls but it has never managed to win a seat at Westminster. Indeed, its now honorary president Nigel Farage has lost every time he’s stood to be an MP.