Reform UK discussion

[styles]

OK this is what someone said on a FB comment to the local Elections (*Give or take - I didn't right it down!)

Come on Reform! Now, [Local MP - Tory], defect!

I mean... I'm still trying to get my head around it! You want Reform... but you want your Tory MP to be that Reform MP... Might as well vote Tory surely?!

Not that I'm suggesting that this is what that person's logic is, but I suppose there is an argument that if your current MP is being restrained in what they vote for by current party policy, and that they'd be better aligned with a different party, then a switch to that different party may lead them to vote on things they or you are really wanting.

After all, a lot of significant votes in Parliament, particularly the Commons, are whipped. To that end, people generally vote for a party or a party leader more than they vote for an individual MP, except where that MP has done a truly outstanding job of representing the constituency and could effectively stand as an independent and still fare well.

 

[DarloRich]

Nige must be sick again today. His orange mate trump has been abusing the sacrifice of British and allied troops killed in Afghanistan honouring NATO commitments.

Every decent political leader has expressed disgust. Silence from the farage.

By your friends shall ye be known

(There has been some very gentle complaint from former Tory whopper jenrick)

 

[JGurney]

No, they want a Reform MP, but without all that hassle of actually having to win an election.

They want a Reform MP right now. The only way to get that is through their existing MP changing party. I suspect Reform appeals to those who don't want to wait for things.

 

[jon0844]

Nige must be sick again today. His orange mate trump has been abusing the sacrifice of British and allied troops killed in Afghanistan honouring NATO commitments.

Every decent political leader has expressed disgust. Silence from the farage.

By your friends shall ye be known

(There has been some very gentle complaint from former Tory whopper jenrick)

All Reform voters claim to be very supportive of our veterans.. they say it all the time 'look after are own' (sic). But I can't help but feel that if Farage said Trump was right and the army was full of woke leftists, they'd go along with it.

However, I doubt even Nigel is mad enough to risk it so I bet he's hiding in a fridge. Oh, wait, that would be Boris.. Perhaps he could hide somewhere that nobody would think to look. Like Clacton.

 

[Bayum]

Kent’s finest seem to be lauding their reduced spending on debt… but failing to say it’s because they’ve spread the debt over many more years… can’t wait for it to blow up in their face.

 

[jon0844]

Kent’s finest seem to be lauding their reduced spending on debt… but failing to say it’s because they’ve spread the debt over many more years… can’t wait for it to blow up in their face.

They'll blame someone else when it does.

I'm currently debating with someone who thinks that Labour is trying to cancel elections and turn us into North Korea (this being the postponement of local elections where councils are being abolished to become part of larger ones being created) and this is all being pushed by Reform, who don't want by-elections for Tories that defect to Reform. They also think Labour needs to call a general election now because 100,000 people signed an online petition... and if they don't, it's further proof that democracy is being destroyed.

 

[Bayum]

They'll blame someone else when it does.

I'm currently debating with someone who thinks that Labour is trying to cancel elections and turn us into North Korea (this being the postponement of local elections where councils are being abolished to become part of larger ones being created) and this is all being pushed by Reform, who don't want by-elections for Tories that defect to Reform. They also think Labour needs to call a general election now because 100,000 people signed an online petition... and if they don't, it's further proof that democracy is being destroyed.

Yet you can point to most previous governments where the electorate have shown buyers remorse.

 

[contrex]

Nige must be sick again today. His orange mate trump has been abusing the sacrifice of British and allied troops killed in Afghanistan honouring NATO commitments.

Every decent political leader has expressed disgust. Silence from the farage.

By your friends shall ye be known

(There has been some very gentle complaint from former Tory whopper jenrick)

Brilliant satirical collage by good old Cold War Steve showing The Donald peeing on a cenotaph-style UK war memorial, with Farage, in blue suit and red MAGA cap, clapping, and a number of Trump's acolytes waving American flags and urging him on. I'm a bit wary of posting it on here, or linking, even though I think it is right on the button, as are some of the comments underneath on Steve's Facebook page about Farage's possible personal role in the proceedings! It is trivially easy to find, however.

 

[jon0844]

Nigel did manage to say Trump was wrong but that was it. Given how Reform likes to make out how patriotic they are and it's all about supporting the veterans over anyone else, it is shocking.

Shocking too is that Reform voters won't care. Obviously because they don't really care about veterans and wouldn't do anything to help them - they're just a useful prop to hide the racism and xenophobia by saying they're just wanting to look after our own.

 

[contrex]

Nigel did manage to say Trump was wrong but that was it. Given how Reform likes to make out how patriotic they are and it's all about supporting the veterans over anyone else, it is shocking.

Shocking too is that Reform voters won't care. Obviously because they don't really care about veterans and wouldn't do anything to help them - they're just a useful prop to hide the racism and xenophobia by saying they're just wanting to look after our own.

Or "are own" as they would probably write.

 

[jon0844]

Or "are own" as they would probably write.

Indeed, as I wrote it in an earlier comment.

 

[contrex]

Indeed, as I wrote it in an earlier comment.

I actually heard a London relative-by-marriage say (and they were being serious) "Say what you like about the Krays, they looked after their own".

 

[Railwaycat]

I actually heard a London relative-by-marriage say (and they were being serious) "Say what you like about the Krays, they looked after their own".

You wouldn't have said what you like about the Krays when they were alive!

 

[contrex]

You wouldn't have said what you like about the Krays when they were alive!

Jack "The Hat" McVitie and George Cornell, among others, paid the price for doing that, I think?

 

[DarloRich]

Nigel did manage to say Trump was wrong but that was it. Given how Reform likes to make out how patriotic they are and it's all about supporting the veterans over anyone else, it is shocking.

Shocking too is that Reform voters won't care. Obviously because they don't really care about veterans and wouldn't do anything to help them - they're just a useful prop to hide the racism and xenophobia by saying they're just wanting to look after our own.

Plastic patriots. Look at them and their support lining up to beg trump to remove starmer.

Imagine if an "evil leftist Marxist communist Maoist agitator" had said what trump had said!

The right wing media have been silent about trump today. Only the express (!) had a sensible headline

 

[jon0844]

Time to move on to see what Reform and others think of the man shot today by ICE, seven times, because he had a gun that by all accounts was holstered (second amendment rights and all that) and the victim was wearing gloves so unlikely to be able to draw the weapon.

SEVEN shots.

A US citizen too.

I am sure they're already saying the man should have complied with orders etc. Depending on how they spin this in the USA, we'll see what Farage and others have to say here..

 

[Gloster]

Time to move on to see what Reform and others think of the man shot today by ICE, seven times, because he had a gun that by all accounts was holstered (second amendment rights and all that) and the victim was wearing gloves so unlikely to be able to draw the weapon.

SEVEN shots.

A US citizen too.

I am sure they're already saying the man should have complied with orders etc. Depending on how they spin this in the USA, we'll see what Farage and others have to say here..

Farage and the sharper members of his party (there are a few) will say absolutely nothing unless forced. If they have to say something they will come up with a few innocuous platitudes, but stress it is a US matter. They are very good at avoiding saying things that might be thrown back at them, not that there is much chance of that with our fan-boy papers. X and the like will probably be full of badly spelt comments about how he had it coming to him.

 

[jon0844]

Farage and the sharper members of his party (there are a few) will say absolutely nothing unless forced. If they have to say something they will come up with a few innocuous platitudes, but stress it is a US matter. They are very good at avoiding saying things that might be thrown back at them, not that there is much chance of that with our fan-boy papers. X and the like will probably be full of badly spelt comments about how he had it coming to him.

The US Government now seems to be saying he was brandishing a firearm so I think they're going to go with that, irrespective of what the video shows (man holding a phone who it turns out was trying to protect a woman being harassed).

Clearly they're going to say he was obstructing, but you don't usually shoot someone doing that. Certainly not seven times.

However, this likely means it's now okay to say he deserved it if you're pro Trump and MAGA. He was hindering ICE in dragging people off the street, and that's bad.

 

[alex397]

I genuinely think it would be a fascinating scientific brain study , examining Reform voters after hearing Trump talk about British soldiers in such a way. It might be the first evidence of brains doing actual somersaults.

 

[Railwaycat]

I genuinely think it would be a fascinating scientific brain study , examining Reform voters after hearing Trump talk about British soldiers in such a way. It might be the first evidence of brains doing actual somersaults.

Reform voters and a brain? Don't think so....

 

[brad465]

And Braverman has now defected.

(On my phone so can't provide link)

 

[sor]

At what point do Reform 2024 voters, or perhaps people who are now considering doing so, realise that their party is the most "uniparty" of them all? At what point do they get the realisation that they're voting for Farage, plus a load of failed Tories who caused all the problems while in government, plus pub-bore types who should never have any real responsibility.

That said I don't hold out much hope given the mileage Farage has with claiming he's not a member of the establishment. Even after he complained about losing his Coutts bank account.

 

[35B]

At what point do Reform 2024 voters, or perhaps people who are now considering doing so, realise that their party is the most "uniparty" of them all? At what point do they get the realisation that they're voting for Farage, plus a load of failed Tories who caused all the problems while in government, plus pub-bore types who should never have any real responsibility.

That said I don't hold out much hope given the mileage Farage has with claiming he's not a member of the establishment. Even after he complained about losing his Coutts bank account.

They won't, because "uniparty" is not a statement of reality, but a brand to fling at politicians they dislike who pursue policies they dislike.

The same point applies to whether or not he's part of the "establishment" - it's not about which garden parties he's invited to, or where he banks, but about proximity to power. His brand is as a challenger and, as we've seen in the US, it can stay active for a long time.

 

[Killingworth]

And Braverman has now defected.

(On my phone so can't provide link)

Ex-Tory Home Secretary Suella Braverman defects to Reform UK

The MP was unveiled as Reform's latest recruit by leader Nigel Farage at a rally, bringing the number of the party's sitting MPs to eight.

www.bbc.co.uk

Ex-Tory Home Secretary Suella Braverman defects to Reform UK​

Image source, Reuters

• • Published
    26 January 2026, 12:20 GMT

Updated 6 minutes ago
Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman has become the latest Conservative MP to defect to Reform UK.
Leader Nigel Farage made the surprise announcement at a rally for party activists in central London.
Braverman told Reform supporters she had also resigned her Tory membership of 30 years, adding: "I feel like I've come home."
She becomes the fourth sitting Tory MP to join the party since the last election, and the third this month, alongside Robert Jenrick and Andrew Rosindell.

• Jenrick claims he is 'uniting the right' by defecting to Reform UK
  
  • • Published
      16 January
• Former Conservatives joining Reform is not without risk for Farage
  
  • • Published
      12 January

The defection brings Reform's current tally of MPs to eight.
Braverman told Reform supporters: "Britain is indeed broken. She is suffering. She is not well.
"Immigration is out of control. Our public services are on their knees. People don't feel safe.
"We can't even defend ourselves, and our nation stands weak and humiliated on the world stage.
"So we stand at a crossroads. We can either continue down this route of managed decline to weakness and surrender. Or we can fix our country, reclaim our power, rediscover our strength."

 

[43096]

Oh good, another failed Tory defecting to Farage’s cult. You can start to see Kemi’s point about Reform doing the spring-cleaning for the Tories: first Tory boy, now the deeply unpleasant Cruella.

 

[Thirteen]

Telling that it's the members of the Conservatives who have defected rather than anyone who was actually any good.

It's surprising that Suella took this long to defect.

 

[Bletchleyite]

It's surprising that Suella took this long to defect.

It certainly demonstrates her continued rank hypocrisy, being the child of immigrants and yet wanting to make things harder for, er, immigrants*. But that's nothing new!

* See also people who move to a New Town then object to further housing being constructed there which was part of the original plan.

 

[Gloster]

It should be interesting to watch now that Reform has two refugees from the Conservative Party who are absolutely driven by ambition. It is probably a vain hope, but could their efforts to fight their way to the top lead to Farage deciding to find another grift that involves less effort?

 

[35B]

It should be interesting to watch now that Reform has two refugees from the Conservative Party who are absolutely driven by ambition. It is probably a vain hope, but could their efforts to fight their way to the top lead to Farage deciding to find another grift that involves less effort?

I doubt it. See Carswell, D for an example of how things work out when people threaten to overshadow him

 

[brad465]

I doubt it. See Carswell, D for an example of how things work out when people threaten to overshadow him

Carswell was a relatively minor person in terms of influence and UKIP. Jenrick and Braverman, ahead of other notable Tory defections, have the potential to do a lot of damage to Farage in a bust-up with him. Also, the infighting doesn't have to involve Farage to damage him; Jenrick and Braverman could easily fight each other over their position in the party if one thinks they deserve the other's position, and/or lesser-former Tories feel they are worthy of a higher role and throw a hissy fit over not getting it.