Political drama was in full swing at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham on September 5, 2025, as Reform UK held its annual conference amid a backdrop of extraordinary developments in Westminster. The day’s events, which included the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and an immediate cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, sent shockwaves through the political establishment and set the stage for a raucous and unpredictable gathering of Reform’s faithful.
From the outset, the conference agenda was thrown into chaos. According to BBC, a Tannoy announcement about Rayner’s resignation forced Reform UK leader Nigel Farage to move his keynote speech forward, as the news reverberated through the bustling cafes and exhibition halls. Party members scrambled to their seats, sensing that something momentous was unfolding. The sense of anticipation was only heightened by the pyrotechnics marking Farage’s arrival on stage—a fittingly theatrical entrance for a party determined to seize the political spotlight.
Farage wasted no time in capitalizing on Labour’s internal strife. "This government is deep in crisis," he declared, lambasting the current cabinet as "wholly unqualified people to run our country." He went further, insisting, "They’re not fit to govern," and positioning Reform as "the party that stands up for decent working people, and we are the party on the rise." His message was clear: instability on the left, he argued, could open the door for Reform UK to make major gains, and perhaps even trigger a general election as early as 2027—a full two years ahead of the widely expected 2029 date.
The urgency in Farage’s tone was unmistakable. As reported by The Mirror, he told party activists, “We’re used to hearing stories of splits in the Conservative Party. We’re about to witness a big rift in the Labour Party, too.” He predicted that some Labour MPs might soon seek re-election under alternative banners, referencing Jeremy Corbyn’s sectarian ticket as a possible refuge for the disaffected. Farage’s rallying cry: “We must be ready.”
But the day was about more than just opportunism. Farage outlined an ambitious roadmap for Reform’s political future, highlighting the pivotal importance of the 2026 Scottish Parliament and Welsh Senedd elections as “essential building blocks” ahead of a UK general election. He set a lofty target: 5,000 vetted candidates by next year, and announced the creation of a new department to prepare the party for government. Zia Yusuf, Reform’s former chairman, was named as the new head of policy—a move intended to bolster the party’s credibility and readiness.
Yusuf’s own speech was a call to arms, as quoted by The Sun: “We’re on the brink of drawing to a close a tragic era in this country’s history. An era in which British people have been made second-class citizens in their own country, an era in which those who played by the rules their whole lives are robbed by the state to pay for those who break them.” He added, “The era of British decline will soon be at an end.”
Farage, never shy of bold promises, pledged “serious” cuts to the benefits bill, arguing that the current system is “morally wrong” and claiming that some people on benefits earn more than those who work. He made the audacious claim that he could “stop the boats within two weeks of winning government,” referring to the ongoing issue of small boat crossings in the English Channel. However, as BBC noted, he gave no details on how either pledge would be achieved. He also vowed to bring back “genuine stop and search” to tackle knife crime and called for the return of wealthy non-doms to the UK, saying they had been unfairly pushed away by current tax policies.
Reform’s conference, once seen as a fringe event, has grown into a slick, big-budget affair. This year, the presence of lobbyists and corporate interests was unmistakable, with many eager to understand how they might engage with a potential Reform-led government. Yet, as BBC observed, the professional sheen did not erase the party’s colorful character. The event was peppered with quirky moments—former Tory MP and Strictly Come Dancing star Ann Widdecombe was spotted with a stern bodyguard, and former daytime TV host Jeremy Kyle mingled with delegates. Greater Lincolnshire Mayor Andrea Jenkyns made a memorable entrance, singing in a sequinned jumpsuit, declaring, “We are a nation of insomniacs, as Britain is sleepwalking into disaster, but Reform is waking up the establishment.”
The party also celebrated high-profile defections. Nadine Dorries, a former Conservative cabinet minister and Boris Johnson loyalist, appeared on stage, repeating her assertion that her old party was “dead.” She told Tory voters, “The Conservative Party cannot win the next election. It removes election winning prime ministers, and replaces them with duds.” Farage greeted her warmly, telling The Mail, “I am absolutely delighted to welcome Nadine Dorries to Reform UK. She is a hugely successful politician, author and columnist and will be a great boost to our campaign to win the next General Election.” Andrea Jenkyns hinted that more Tory defections could be on the horizon, suggesting three more former Conservative MPs were in talks to join Reform.
Not all was celebratory, however. The conference was briefly upstaged by a protestor who shouted, “f*** the fascists” and “tax the rich, do something for the country” before being escorted out by security—a moment quickly shared across social media. Outside, a delegation from the West Midlands National Education Union and other protesters made their voices heard, chanting, “Say it loud, say it clear: Refugees are welcome here.”
Meanwhile, the Labour Party was dealing with its own upheaval. Keir Starmer, in a handwritten letter to Rayner, expressed his sadness at her resignation, writing, “I am very sad that your time has ended in this way.” He praised her for acting with integrity, even as an ethics watchdog found she had breached the ministerial code by underpaying stamp duty on a flat in Hove, Sussex. In the reshuffle that followed, David Lammy was appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary, Shabana Mahmood became Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper was named Foreign Secretary, and Steve Reed took over as Housing Secretary.
Reform’s chairman, Dr. David Bull, underscored the party’s willingness to rethink public services, refusing to rule out a health insurance system and criticizing the NHS’s performance, particularly in cancer survival rates, which he said lag 15% behind the rest of Europe. “The money is going in at the top but not reaching the bottom,” he told Channel 4 News.
Despite the day’s disruptions, Reform UK’s sustained lead in opinion polls—buoyed by successes in May’s local and mayoral elections—has emboldened its supporters and attracted the attention of political professionals. Yet, as several commentators noted, time is a fickle force in politics. Whether the next general election comes in 2027, as Farage predicts, or in 2029, as is more likely, the party faces the daunting challenge of maintaining its momentum and translating populist energy into lasting influence.
In Birmingham, Reform UK’s conference was a microcosm of Britain’s turbulent political landscape—part spectacle, part strategy session, and all the more unpredictable for it.
