Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, has issued a clarion call to party members to brace themselves for an early general election, following the dramatic resignation of Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner. Speaking at the party’s annual conference in Birmingham on September 5, 2025, Farage took to the stage three hours ahead of schedule, energizing supporters and laying out his vision for the party’s future while signaling seismic shifts in the UK’s political landscape.
Farage’s keynote address, delivered to a packed hall of thousands of activists and hundreds of corporate lobbyists, came at a time of palpable excitement for Reform UK. The party has recently enjoyed a string of local election victories and, according to BBC News, is maintaining a consistent lead in national opinion polls. The conference itself was a spectacle on a scale far grander than previous gatherings, with Reform UK borrowing elements from US-style political rallies—glitter cannons and all.
“We are all ships rising on a turquoise tide headed ever closer towards winning the next general election,” Farage proclaimed, his words met with raucous applause. The sense of momentum was unmistakable, with new party member Suzy Hall describing the mood as one of “seismic change.” She told the BBC, “The air around the Conservatives is stale. The air around Labour is fetid. And this is fresh air.”
Farage did not mince words about the state of the nation, declaring Britain to be “in a very bad place.” He positioned Reform UK as “the last chance the country’s got to get this country back on track,” promising to give the effort “everything.” The speech was less a detailed policy rollout and more a rallying cry, designed to galvanize supporters and capitalize on the party’s growing profile.
One of the most headline-grabbing moments came when Farage introduced Nadine Dorries, the former Conservative culture secretary and a recent high-profile defector to Reform UK. Dorries, who joined the party on the evening of September 4, was welcomed on stage amid glitter and cheers. “I feel for the first time in a number of years as though I’m at a conference and amongst people who share the same principles and values as I have always held,” she told the crowd.
In a nod to the party’s ambitions, Farage announced the formation of a new department dedicated to preparing for government, with former Reform chairman Zia Yusuf appointed as head of policy. “In order to get all these policies brought together under one roof—and it’s a massive workload—I’m going to ask Zia Yusuf, from this day, to be our head of policy to bring all of this together,” Farage explained. He also promised that others with government experience would soon join their ranks, ensuring the party would “hit the ground running” if it came to power.
Farage outlined a series of bold, if controversial, policy priorities. He pledged to set out “serious cuts to the welfare budget” in the near future, vowed to “stop the boats within two weeks” of taking office, and said he would scrap “harmful, wasteful” net zero policies. He also promised to make Britain safer through “zero tolerance policing.” In an international twist, Farage revealed plans to lunch with the Albanian prime minister to discuss possible migrant returns agreements—an effort to tackle the ongoing challenge of irregular migration.
The Reform UK leader was keen to dispel the notion that his party was a “one man band,” emphasizing the need to recruit experienced individuals and build robust structures in preparation for government. “Others with experience will come. Don’t worry about that, and we will open a department for preparing for government so that when we win, we can hit the ground running,” Farage assured attendees.
He also sought to tap into a rising tide of British patriotism, referencing the spontaneous appearance of the Cross of St George and Union flags on lamp posts across the country. “What is going on out there is the British people are sticking two fingers up with every flag they place to an establishment that doesn’t believe in Britain,” he declared, before borrowing a familiar phrase from across the Atlantic: “Let’s make Britain great again—I’ve heard that phrase somewhere else before—but I agree with it.”
Yet, beneath the optimism and spectacle, there were signs of pragmatic recalibration within Reform UK. Deputy leader Richard Tice, speaking to BBC Radio 4 and at a press conference on pensions, suggested the party may need to rethink its headline pledge to deliver £90 billion of tax cuts—a central promise from the July 2024 manifesto. “A manifesto in July 2024 is not appropriate for a manifesto or contract whenever the next general election is,” Tice said, highlighting the “terrible, terrible trouble” of the UK’s finances as a reason for reassessment. He emphasized that any tax cuts would have to be performance-related and contingent on making substantial savings first.
Tice, who has expressed interest in becoming chancellor should Reform UK take power, reiterated the party’s focus on savings and cutting regulation. “We have to focus on the savings because regrettably the finances of this country are in terrible, terrible trouble. We will have to deal with whatever nightmare situation the government finances are in at the time of the next general election. Our promise is to save money, to cut regulations—we deliver on that, then we deliver direction of travel on tax cuts,” he told the BBC.
Pressed on whether Reform UK’s drastic spending cuts, advocated by Dorries, were now official party policy, Tice replied, “I’ve always said that.” This alignment was seen as a further sign that the party is willing to make tough choices in response to the UK’s fiscal realities, even if it means walking back earlier promises. “The audience know that a manifesto is a point in time, it’s a direction of travel,” Tice explained, hinting that flexibility and adaptation would be necessary as the political and economic context evolves.
Despite the party’s buoyant mood and growing support, critics were quick to respond. A Labour Party spokesperson dismissed Farage’s speech as offering “anger without answers” and criticized the appointment of Nadine Dorries as “one of the faces of failure from the last Tory government.” The spokesperson added, “Farage has proven again today that he is incapable of acting in the best interests of Britain.”
Nevertheless, the mood in Birmingham was undeniably upbeat. Ethan Powell, another conference attendee, described Farage’s address as “absolutely electric,” saying, “He brings hope to many of us. Loads of people are here because they love their country and they want to see a country that actually works.”
With the possibility of an early election looming—Farage predicts as early as 2027, though some analysts suggest it could be as late as 2029—Reform UK is working to position itself as a credible alternative to the established parties. The party’s leadership is balancing bold rhetoric with a dose of fiscal realism, hoping to channel public dissatisfaction into electoral success while preparing for the hard realities of governance.
As the conference concluded, one thing was clear: Reform UK, under Farage’s leadership, is determined to make itself heard. Whether the party can maintain its momentum, deliver on its promises, and navigate the shifting sands of British politics remains to be seen—but for now, its supporters are riding high on a wave of optimism and ambition.
