Can Reform UK ever prove themselves to be serious politicians?

As the ‘people’s party’ is caught offering tours of the Houses of Parliament for cash, Sean O’Grady wonders when its MPs will start drawing attention for legitimate political activity rather than random misbehaviour

They may like to regard themselves as the rebellious, irreverent, slightly edgy “foxes in the henhouse”, but Reform UK’s MPs are not going to be allowed to get away with that much in the House of Commons. It’s been reported that the upstart party has been offering its supporters tours of parliament conducted by its MPs, for £300 a pop. This appears to break Commons rules, as well as looking a bit exploitative on the part of the self-styled “people’s party” in what is, after all, certainly the people’s palace. It does seem a little amateur...

What’s gone wrong?

Letting Reform into parliament is the more obvious mistake on the part of the voters, but the party’s present predicament appears more cock-up than conspiracy. Apparently, an email was dispatched in recent weeks to Reform supporters in one region advertising a Christmas party at a central London bar and nightclub, no doubt with the lure of a chance encounter over a cocktail with the gadfly Nigel Farage, the urbane Richard Tice, “30p Lee” Anderson, the crotchety Rupert Lowe, or, erm, the other one.

The tickets were, as usual, sold as a fundraiser, albeit not to all tastes. But someone got a bit creative with the marketing and tagged on as an optional extra a “package” involving “a tour of parliament with an MP”.

To be fair, Reform’s mixed bag of parliamentarians say they were unaware of the offer, and the party claims that the email was sent in error by a volunteer regional organiser: “This event was set up without our knowledge by the local branch, who did not know the rules. Ticket holders are being offered a refund.”

Are they ideal tour guides?

Probably not. Anderson has been an MP since 2019, so he knows his way around the vast sprawling estate a bit, but the others have only been in for a few months. Farage, Tice and co would be hard pressed, for example, to dilate on Pugin’s masterpiece; still more to locate the broom cupboard where the suffragette Emily Wilding Davison hid herself on the night of the 1911 census to protest against the refusal to grant women the right to vote or to be an MP. Thus secreted, she could record her official address as “House of Commons”. (The cupboard is in the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft.)

But weren’t they members of the European parliament?

Yes, Farage, Lowe and Tice were, and Farage will be getting a handsome pension based on his “service” there from 1999 to 2020. But it’s a very different place, and they did little work there anyway, on principle. Farage sometimes made a fool of himself and couldn’t care less. But catching the mood of the Commons, impressing it and making the point, is more important – and proving more difficult.

How’s it going in the Commons?

Farage doesn’t seem to have established himself very well, considering his long experience in public life, and hasn’t really landed a blow on Keir Starmer yet. Indeed, Farage overplayed his hand rather in the summer riots (sometimes dubbed #FarageRiots online), and has gained a reputation for not spending that much time in his constituency of Clacton.

Anderson, Lowe and Tice appear rather more assiduous, but none of them have used the chamber to their best advantage, limiting themselves to some showboating. On too many occasions the energy secretary, Ed Miliband, has owned them on green energy and climate change, treating them like a science teacher would a particularly dim pupil.

It’s early days, but Reform seem a bit too amateurish, given their ambition to eclipse the Tories and be the “real opposition” to the Labour government.

How’s the party, though?

In good shape, actually, at least according to their own figures. They’re claiming party membership is up to 90,000 (unverified), which would be more than the Liberal Democrats or SNP, and not far off the Tories (at maybe 140,000). They are recruiting more candidates and activists, as presumably the funds are increasing – though they will probably need to do more to vet those standing for council and parliamentary elections, after a string of racist embarrassments.

One other area that does need serious attention is policymaking – the “contract” offered at the last election was virtually denounced by Farage before he put it to the electors. Reform’s predecessors, Ukip and the Brexit Party, often did well in attracting protest votes in European elections, but no one much would trust them to run the country.

A more serious, costed manifesto might help them gain credibility, while learning to target resources might yield a better return in the Commons. They’d also be wise to establish a consistent line on the Conservatives. Currently it is that they want to destroy them, but there are plenty on both sides who’d love to merge.

Does Farage still own Reform UK Party Limited?

Yes, and Tice provides most of the funding, but they have promised that a more conventional democratic structure will be put in place. They’re highly prone to splits, so that should bring us some more fun.