Reform UK discussion

[brad465]

The whole party donor system is deeply corrupt and needs much stricter regulation, regardless of parties. However, a massive "donation" from a crypto investor is an especially dodgy one:

Crypto investor Christopher Harborne donates record £9m to Reform UK

The sum from Christopher Harborne is the largest ever single donation by a living person to a British political party.

www.bbc.co.uk

Reform UK has received a record £9m donation from cryptocurrency investor and aviation entrepreneur Christopher Harborne, new figures from the Electoral Commission show.
It is the largest ever single donation by a living person to a British political party.
Mr Harborne, who is British but lives in Thailand, has previously given large sums to the Conservatives under Boris Johnson's leadership, as well as Reform's predecessor the Brexit Party in 2019 and 2020.
While the next general election is not due until 2029, the donation comes ahead of local elections next May.
Reform UK has been consistently leading in national opinion polls since the spring.
Mr Harborne's donation breaks the previous record for a living person, which was £8m from supermarket tycoon Lord David Sainsbury to the Liberal Democrats in 2019.
His cousin Lord John Sainsbury left £10m to the Conservatives in his will in 2022.
Two of Mr Harborne's businesses - AML Global and Sherriff Group - are linked to private aircraft and aviation.
Reform leader Nigel Farage has been a supporter of cryptocurrency, announcing in May that his party would be the first in the UK to accept donations in Bitcoin.
Mr Harborne's donation, which was made on 1 August, was not in cryptocurrency.

 

[DarloRich]

Farage is rattled by these attacks on the behaviour of his younger self and a man he never knew despite standing next to him in loads of publicity pictures getting 10 years in the clink for taking Russian backhanders. He is wittering on about cancelled elections and BBC sitcoms the 1970's...................

The whole party donor system is deeply corrupt and needs much stricter regulation, regardless of parties. However, a massive "donation" from a crypto investor is an especially dodgy one:

I am sure Richard Tice will be along soon to complain about non UK based people making dontations to political parties. When George Soros did it he said that Soros doesn't live here, he doesn't pay taxes here and questioned what right he had to influence UK politics.

Dickie? DICKIE? Where are you?

 

[Tetchytyke]

he whole party donor system is deeply corrupt and needs much stricter regulation, regardless of parties. However, a massive "donation" from a crypto investor is an especially dodgy one:

He gave millions to Boris Johnson too.

Interesting none of the BBC's articles reference the fact he's got Thai citizenship under a Thai name and that he is the largest shareholder in QinetiQ. QinetiQ is an arms dealer which was sput out of the MOD and privatised in 2001 and most of its revenue is generated from UK government contracts.

Ever get the feeling you're being had?

 

[Class 317]

I heard on five live this morning that they have dropped in the polls. Can't find anything about this on BBC news but not surprised with everything that's going on.

 

[Cross City]

I heard on five live this morning that they have dropped in the polls. Can't find anything about this on BBC news but not surprised with everything that's going on.

I've been saying for a while to my friendship group and on another forum I frequent that I highly doubt Reform will be able to handle the increased media scrutiny on their policies and personas in the run up to the next GE without them collapsing into either infighting or actual criminal indictment. They just don't have the experience at the top level of real politics / would-be-government to be able to deal with it.

The infighting is particularly likely because of the nature of the party's stance on things and the kind of people that would attract. A party about personal responsibility will attract people who only care about themselves, thus when things go south the knives will be out for each other.

They peaked far, far too soon before the election for them to be able to ride this wave without some major issues derailing them.

 

[Gloster]

I've been saying for a while to my friendship group and on another forum I frequent that I highly doubt Reform will be able to handle the increased media scrutiny on their policies and personas in the run up to the next GE without them collapsing into either infighting or actual criminal indictment. They just don't have the experience at the top level of real politics / would-be-government to be able to deal with it.

What media scrutiny? At the moment Farage should be being asked about the anti-semitic abuse he used to others during his schooldays. Most of the media have ignored it as long as possible, but when forced to say something seem to uncritically accept his claims that it was just ‘bantz’ and allow him to turn the subject to criticism of the BBC, something he knows they love. And of course they accept his claim that his recollection of such things not happening is perfect and that twenty plus people are completely imagining it all….and that Tice, who wasn’t there, is a reliable source for a denial. Or they are busy with a far more important matter: did Reeves claim to have won the wrong chess competition when she was a teenager.

Sadly, I don’t think that even if the anti-semitism allegations are proven, and I think that they are mostly accurate, it will have much effect. Most of those who are offended either already loathe Reform or have flirted with them and left. Many Reform members will just see it as no big deal or wonder what it is all about. A few will agree with him and say, ‘Heil, sorry, hurrah, Nigel.’ There will be a few who decide that this is too much and withdraw their support, but all too few I fear.

 

[jon0844]

Their shocking (but not surprising) behaviour in the local councils should be proof enough of their incompetence, when you put people into power who were only able to say the same things over and over 'boats, DOGE, DEI, flags' and quite possibly wouldn't be able to get a job anywhere else.

Once in power, they've realised that things aren't as easy as they thought. Not every penny spent is waste, and people need the services they thought were wasteful. Like in the USA, it's invariably the people who voted for these idiots that find the cuts affect them first.

Don't get me wrong, councils all over have to keep increasing council tax by the maximum permitted rate thanks to ever decreasing central Government funding. It isn't just Reform councils that are having to look at the services provided that they're not legally obliged to fund, and scale them back or cut them.... but Reform are somehow shocked at what they're finding because they've never done it before - more, perhaps more importantly - they've not had any interest in finding out and understanding how things work before they got their role.

I can't even begin to imagine the carnage if they got control of the Government. Perhaps others are starting to think that too.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 5 Dec 2025 ==

Sadly, I don’t think that even if the anti-semitism allegations are proven, and I think that they are mostly accurate, it will have much effect. Most of those who are offended either already loathe Reform or have flirted with them and left. Many Reform members will just see it as no big deal or wonder what it is all about. A few will agree with him and say, ‘Heil, sorry, hurrah, Nigel.’ There will be a few who decide that this is too much and withdraw their support, but all too few I fear.

As we saw with Trump, whether people liked him or not, they loved his policy of promising to round up people and deport them. Their hatred of foreign (okay, black and brown) people meant they were/are willing to let him do and say what he wants, as long as they can see their neighbours deported. Being able to see them being violently detained and arrested makes for good TV viewing too. In less than a year, Trump has effectively destroyed the country and its reputation on the world stage.

I think a lot of Reform voters will know Farage probably did everything he's accused of, but they don't care. They don't want to admit to being racist themselves, so they'll probably just go on about freedom of speech or Farage was just a baby and didn't know what he was saying etc.

 

[Tetchytyke]

Or they are busy with a far more important matter: did Reeves claim to have won the wrong chess competition when she was a teenager.

The comments section on the Telegraph website was interesting. Even the people who comment on the Telegraph website were saying that that particular attack on Reeves was stupid. She was a U14s girls' British chess champion, after all.

At the moment Farage should be being asked about the anti-semitic abuse he used to others during his schooldays. Most of the media have ignored it as long as possible, but when forced to say something seem to uncritically accept his claims that it was just ‘bantz’ and allow him to turn the subject to criticism of the BBC

It was an interesting response by Farage, apparently the BBC and ITV should both be apologising for the likes of Love Thy Neighbour, It Ain't Half Hot Mum, and Alf Garnett and Bernard Manning because even Farage thought they were racist.

I didn't have Nigel Farage demanding an apology for racism on my 2025 bingo card, I have to say.

But whilst the questioning has clearly rattled him, I can't imagine Reform supporters losing any sleep over their dear leader being racist as a kid. His supporters will agree with what he said as a teenager.

 

[contrex]

apparently the BBC and ITV should both be apologising for the likes of ... Alf Garnett ... because even Farage thought they were racist.

We are clear, I hope, that the racist and bigoted 'Alf Garnett' character was a caricature intended to ridicule such attitudes? The series writer (Johnny Speight) often commented that Alf was supposed to be a figure of ridicule, but admitted that not all viewers saw the satirical elements of the character. Warren Mitchell, who played him, described how uneasy he felt when skinheads acclaimed him in the street and likened him to 'our Enoch [Powell]'. Speight defended the character, saying: 'If you do the character correctly, he just typifies what you hear – not only in pubs but in golf clubs around the country. To make him truthful he's got to say those things, and they are nasty things. But I feel as a writer that they should be out in the open so we can see how daft these comparisons are.'

It's funny if Farage doesn't get that. Funny and typical of his stupidity.

 

[Tetchytyke]

We are clear, I hope, that the racist and bigoted 'Alf Garnett' character was a caricature intended to ridicule such attitudes?

I am! Similar to Al Murray's Pub Landlord, not everyone gets it though.

 

[Harpo]

It's funny if Farage doesn't get that. Funny and typical of his stupidity.

No. Farage is exceedingly clever. He is a master of nuance and the dog whistle. He will be very aware that Alf Garnett was a lampooning of stereotypes but, like most of his output, to the hard of thinking it will look like a direct hit.

 

[AlterEgo]

Farage is not an emotionally intelligent man and has never come across as an appreciator of art or culture. He probably didn't understand the satirical element of Alf Garnett and didn't see the crux of the show was him being undermined as a backwoodsman by the other people in the house. (The scene with Spike Milligan in blackface was, erm, well yes - that bit was racist!)

 

[Gloster]

To put things in context, Farage was eleven when Till Death Do Us Part ended, fourteen when The Black & White Minstrels died a long overdue death and seventeen when It Ain’t Half Hot Mum finished. It is interesting to see how he is able to give such a considered and knowledgeable verdict on programmes that were around when he was at such a tender age. Presumably that is another example of how Farago, the wonder memory man, can remember long ago things so well and how he, so it may be inferred from his sayings, deeply disapproved of these programmes at the time.

 

[contrex]

The scene with Spike Milligan in blackface was, erm, well yes - that bit was racist!

I'll never forget his 1970s TV series with a sketch featuring 'Pakistani' Doctor Who Daleks wearing turbans, whose response to just about everything was 'PUT IT IN THE CURRY'. "Spike Milligan, as Humphrey Carpenter's biography shows, was a deeply unpleasant man. Why do so many still adore him?" - the Guardian (2003)

 

[AlterEgo]

I'll never forget his 1970s TV series with a sketch featuring 'Pakistani' Doctor Who Daleks wearing turbans, whose response to just about everything was 'PUT IT IN THE CURRY'. "Spike Milligan, as Humphrey Carpenter's biography shows, was a deeply unpleasant man. Why do so many still adore him?" - the Guardian (2003)

A lot of people defend Milligan by pointing out he was born in India, as if a white person born in a British colony couldn't possibly be racist.

Farage's defence is similar to Milligan's "I never said any slurs or was directly racist to any black or brown person"....uhhhh.

 

[contrex]

A lot of people defend Milligan by pointing out he was born in India, as if a white person born in a British colony couldn't possibly be racist.

Farage's defence is similar to Milligan's "I never said any slurs or was directly racist to any black or brown person"....uhhhh.

Milligan described Trevor Macdonald as 'jet-black'. He was a dreadful anti-semite as well. I gather John Cleese rated him very highly.

 

[AlterEgo]

Milligan described Trevor Macdonald as 'jet-black'.

"Ah yes but he didn't say it to his face at least" - Farage.

 

[SuspectUsual]

It is interesting to see how he is able to give such a considered and knowledgeable verdict on programmes that were around when he was at such a tender age. Presumably that is another example of how Farago, the wonder memory man, can remember long ago things so well and how he, so it may be inferred from his sayings, deeply disapproved of these programmes at the time.

....and yet he can't remember what he said to his schoolmates at the same time

 

[OhNoAPacer]

Even more remarkable are the abilities of Richard Tice, he didn't even have to be there to know that poor misunderstood Nigel's accusers are lying.

 

[brad465]

Even more remarkable are the abilities of Richard Tice, he didn't even have to be there to know that poor misunderstood Nigel's accusers are lying.

Tice is asking for time in the dock for slander.

 

[FinsburyPark]

Hmmm TLDR on youtube think Reform has reached a polling plateu.

It makes sense and is plausable.

 

[styles]

Hmmm TLDR on youtube think Reform has reached a polling plateu.

It makes sense and is plausable.

I found much of this video to be selective statistics.

For example it points out that Reform only has a slightly larger group of people who say they would consider voting for them than those who say if an election was held tomorrow they would vote for them. But it then ignores that, apart from the Greens, Reform has a larger proportion of respondents saying they would vote for them than any of the other major parties anyway. On another infographic it's mentioned that 51% say they would have zero chance of voting Reform, but that's not a huge amount more than the 41% who say the same about Labour. And with FPTP they don't need a majority of voters to support them in order to form a government anyway. Labour formed this quite significant majority government with only a third of the votes cast, which is daft really.

Looking at the polling for the Wales and Scotland elections in 6 months time, individual pollsters still have Reform on an upwards trajectory.

For a general election it's just way too early to tell much from the polls. How Labour poll for the next GE is really going to come down to whether they still have Starmer or not, and how people's pockets feel after 5 years of Labour government.

 

[alex397]

This whole episode shows how thin-skinned Farage is. The very ‘snowflake’ he campaigns against.
It also shows how he isn’t the ‘showman’ some seem to think he is. He could have easily brushed off this episode by saying ‘This was a long time ago, I’m very sorry I said those awful things but I’m a different person now’ or the like, and I suspect it would have blown over. Instead, he has gone on the aggressive, denying he said any of it, which has only enabled the ‘Dulwich 28’ to go further with this. Surely if he was intelligent enough he would have foreseen the backlash?
I’m really hoping this will reveal to the electorate what he really is, but I doubt it.

 

[jon0844]

He's been shown to get incredibly angry, and start attacking the interviewer, much like Trump. Okay, so he hasn't said piggy, low IQ, you're an idiot etc - but his face shows just how angry he gets when called out.

 

[brad465]

I think it's wishful thinking for this to lead to anything substantial against Farage, but I think he will find labelling this as a "leftist witch hunt" or whatever difficult, considering it was originally a Telegraph exclusive:

Police assess claims Reform overspent on Farage election campaign

The party denies breaking electoral law, saying the "inaccurate claims come from a disgruntled former councillor".

www.bbc.co.uk

Essex Police are assessing allegations that Reform UK overspent on Nigel Farage's general election campaign in Clacton last year.
The claims have been made by a former Reform councillor, who the party said was expelled several months ago.
Richard Everett, a former member of Farage's campaign team, told the Daily Telegraph, external he believes Reform exceeded the £20,660 spending limit set by electoral law in the Essex constituency and failed to declare some costs, although he said Farage was "blissfully unaware" of the omissions.
A Reform spokesperson denied the party had broken electoral law, saying the "inaccurate claims come from a disgruntled former councillor".
In claims first reported by the Telegraph, Mr Everett alleged that Reform failed to declare spending on some leaflets, banners, utility bills and the refurbishment of a bar in the constituency office.
He submitted documents to the Metropolitan Police and the case has now been transferred to Essex Police, which confirmed it was assessing the allegations.
According to the newspaper, the documents show Reform came within £400 of the legal spending limit for the constituency but Mr Everett claims that figure excludes some costs and he believes the party overspent by around £9,000.
In a statement, Essex Police said: "We are assessing a report relating to alleged misreported expenditure by a political party in connection with the 2024 general election, following a referral to us by the Met Police."
Farage took over as leader of Reform UK in June 2024, around a month before the general election.
He won the seat of Clacton in Essex from the Conservatives with a majority of more than 8,000.
Labour Party chairwoman Anna Turley said: "Our parliamentary democracy relies on people playing by the rules so all candidates have a fair hearing with the public.
"Nigel Farage must come clean and put all the evidence on the table to prove he hasn't undermined our democracy by breaking the rules. Failure to do so will raise even more questions about what he has to hide."
Conservative chairman Kevin Hollinrake called for a full investigation by the Electoral Commission, which oversees elections and regulates political finance in the UK, as well as the police.
"We all have an obligation to play by the rules to ensure that our elections are free and fair," he said.

 

[dosxuk]

They do seem to have an unusually large number of "disgruntled former councillor"s, who are happy to stick the boot in to their former party.

 

[Tom B]

They peaked far, far too soon before the election for them to be able to ride this wave without some major issues derailing them.

I hope so. The current government have been in place for about 1.5 years of a 5 year term; it's still fairly early on; things haven't been great, but fixing 14 years of insidious cutbacks doesn't happen overnight. I can only hope things feel better in a year or so time.

This whole episode shows how thin-skinned Farage is. The very ‘snowflake’ he campaigns against.
It also shows how he isn’t the ‘showman’ some seem to think he is. He could have easily brushed off this episode by saying ‘This was a long time ago, I’m very sorry I said those awful things but I’m a different person now’ or the like, and I suspect it would have blown over. Instead, he has gone on the aggressive, denying he said any of it, which has only enabled the ‘Dulwich 28’ to go further with this. Surely if he was intelligent enough he would have foreseen the backlash?
I’m really hoping this will reveal to the electorate what he really is, but I doubt it.

It's interesting (yet also puzzling) that they don't have the 'PR people' to make things like that smooth over. Or does he think that ignoring things will just make them go away (on the grounds that, people who think he's wonderful will still think he's wonderful, and people who think he's a fascist muppet will still think so).

 

[SuspectUsual]

It's interesting (yet also puzzling) that they don't have the 'PR people' to make things like that smooth over

Farage is a disruptor. All he’s ever been as a politician. So taking the step to employing people to smooth stuff over will be anathema to him

 

[alex397]

Sad to see such erosion in local democracy. Swale Borough Council in Kent (which is the Sittingbourne/Faversham area) faced vile abuse and vandalism when discussing asylum seekers.

There were plans to turn Swale into a ‘City of Sanctuary’ making the borough more welcoming to refugees. It wouldn’t have increased numbers as some have presumed, as local authorities have no control over numbers.

One councillor was subjected to homophobic abuse, another councillor had an egg thrown at him, and others were spat at. The building was vandalised including flooding the toilets which made a ceiling collapse.

Considering Reform and their patriotic friends got what they wanted, I dread to think how the protestors would have reacted if they had lost.

Kent Online article, via MSN, here.

Swale council offices in Sittingbourne vandalised amid ‘horrendous’ scenes during asylum seeker debate​

Joe Crossley
Police responded to “horrendous” scenes at a council HQ after a debate about making the borough a “district of sanctuary” for asylum seekers turned ugly.

One of the men’s toilets on the first floor of Swale council’s offices was damaged and taps were left running, flooding the floor and causing water to leak through to the ground floor.

Water damage at Swale council's offices in Sittingbourne
Such was the damage, which inculded one of the lifts also being left out of order, that the offices will have to be shut for tomorrow.

In further ugly scenes, an egg was thrown and people were seen spitting near councillors.

It came after at least 50 people squeezed into the council chamber in East Street, Sittingbourne, this evening.

Many were there to hear the plans for the authority to sign up to the nationwide City of Sanctuary scheme.

It would have meant extra support for those seeking refuge who have already been placed in the borough and would make it a “welcoming place” for people seeking asylum.

Police were called to Swale council's offices in East Street in Sittingbourne after vandalism and "horrendous" scenes during a meeting about asylum seekers
But it would not have meant any extra asylum seekers were placed in facilities in the area, as that is a decision for the government.

Local authorities do not control immigration policy or asylum decisions, and are not responsible for allocating accommodation for asylum seekers.


Dozens of people poured into the offices for the 7pm meeting to listen to the plans – most of whom were peaceful.

But during the meeting, the councillors were continuously heckled with slurs from some people in the public gallery – four young men wore balaclavas.

Such was the noise, which included shouts of “we say no”, that the meeting was paused and then restarted.

At least 50 people crammed into Swale House in Sittingbourne to attend the meeting
Abuse included Cllr Ben Martin being called a “f*****”, an egg being thrown at Cllr Alastair Gould, and people also spitting at nearby councillors.

There were calls for silence and for people to “calm down” out of fear that behaviour would tarnish concerns about immigration.

The councillors voted down the motion – 23 against to eight for – which led to cheers from the public gallery.

All but a handful of people stayed to listen to the rest meeting following the vote.

It was then discovered that the damage had been caused to the first-floor toilets.

Soap dispensers were damaged, and basins were blocked and left to overflow in the Swale council men's toilet on the first floor
Hand soap dispensers were smashed and water poured through to the ground floor, causing part of the ceiling to collapse.


Litter was also left in stairwells, and a kebab was dropped on the floor near part of the fallen ceiling.

It is currently unknown when the damage was caused, but the scenes were found after many of the people had left the council chamber.

Police officers, seemingly there to investigate the vandalism, stopped people gathered outside - including children - from getting back inside.

Council leader Cllr Tim Gibson (Lab) said how the scenes were “absolutely disgusting” as he spoke to the chamber when the meeting restarted.

Taps in one of the men's bathrooms in the Swale council offices were blocked and left to run, leading to the floor to flood
He added: “What a horrendous experience you just had.”


Speaking later, Tory leader Cllr Lloyd Bowen said: “I've been a councillor for many years, but I have never encountered such disgraceful and disgusting behaviour as was seen at Swale tonight by the public.

“I will do a report tomorrow, but for tonight I just want to decompress, be with my family and think about what transpired.

“Members were spat at, eggs thrown and the buidling smashed up. And people wonder why people don’t stand. I am really saddened by the actions tonight.”

Cllr Hannah Perkin had put forward the motion to start the partnership.

Cllr Hannah Perkin (Lib Dem) put forward the motion
The Swale Liberal Democrat leader, who represents the Abbey ward in Faversham, told KentOnline that Swale should become a place where asylum seekers are “welcomed, supported, and valued as members of our community”.


Under the proposals, a lead councillor and officer would have been appointed to oversee the partnership with the group.

Together they would have engaged with local organisations, voluntary groups, and residents in an effort to "strengthen community cohesion and mutual understanding”.

But Cllr Richard Palmer (Ref), who represents Newington and is Kent County Council’s chairman, says the motion has caused “division in the community” rather than bringing it together.

He added that it was “pointless” and “political posturing”.

Cllr Richard Palmer (Ref) called the motion "political postering". Picture: Joe Crossley
“We’re struggling financially, as are most councils, and this is not in the budget,” he told KentOnline ahead of the meeting.


“It’s a motion intended to bring community cohesion, but it is bringing division within the community, all because of political posturing.

“The control of immigration is a public policy; they could have better controls, but decided not to.”

 

[brad465]

Continuing the theme of ex-Tories joining Reform UK:

Former Tory MP and council leader Ben Bradley joins Reform UK party

The former MP for Mansfield confirms he is making the switch to Reform after a year out of politics.

www.bbc.co.uk

A former Conservative MP and ex-council leader has joined Reform UK.
Ben Bradley, who has spent the past year out of politics after losing his Mansfield seat in 2024, confirmed he was joining the party in a new role over the "coming weeks".
He said the party was the only one "prepared to be different and to tackle the most pressing issues" as he vowed to help "ensure that communities feel the benefit of voting for Reform".
The former Nottinghamshire County Council leader said he would be responsible for helping to reduce spending at Reform-led councils.

'Failed to deliver'​

He joins the party following the recent Conservative defections of former Stoke-on-Trent North MP Jonathan Gullis, Lia Nici, who represented Great Grimsby, and ex Bolton West MP, Chris Green.
In a statement shared on Thursday morning, he said: "Successive governments have failed to deliver for so many people, and have demonstrated that they're unwilling to actually deliver on key promises to voters.
"I've been out of politics altogether for a little while, but I feel strongly that I can't sit on the sidelines any more and watch our country fail.
"I've come to the conclusion that Reform UK is the only party that is prepared to be different and to tackle the most pressing issues."
Leader Nigel Farage last week batted off suggestions he was welcoming in too many ex-Tories, adding: "We will not become the Conservative Party 2.0."
Bradley said he would work alongside Richard Tice MP and his Department of Government Efficiency as part of the role.
In 2018, Bradley resigned from his position of vice-chair of the Conservative Party in protest at Theresa May's Chequers Brexit compromise plan.

'Birds of a feather'​

He warned the then prime minister her plan would not capitalise on the opportunities of Brexit and backed Remain ahead of the referendum.
The serving Labour MP for Mansfield, Steve Yemm said the move "doesn't surprise [him] at all".
He added: "A number of failed Tory MPs are joining Reform - and they all supported the disastrous Liz Truss mini-budget just like Nigel Farage. Birds of a feather flock together, don't they?"
Tice said the appointment will help Reform "deliver real results for councils across the country".
He added: "Ben brings a wealth of experience as a former local authority leader and MP for Mansfield.
"As leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, Ben delivered record investment, secured major funding for services, and achieved both budget savings and service improvements."
He was first elected as an MP for Mansfield in 2017 and later also became leader of the county council in 2021.
The Conservative Party has been approached for a statement.

As has been pointed out before, the "anti-establishment" argument is going to be a very difficult sell if at the next election a number of Reform candidates are previous MPs, especially ones that held ministerial jobs in the previous government.