It’s quite a demanding task to challenge the British establishment… and where better to do it than at an exclusive gentlemen’s club in Mayfair?
Recently, Nigel Farage was fortunate to have an abundance of Dom Pérignon at his disposal as he sought to entice wealthy outsiders to support Reform UK during a fundraising dinner at Oswald’s, a prestigious private club neighboring well-known establishments like Boodles, Tiffany, and Cartier.
Oswald’s – named after the grandfather of owner Robin Birley rather than any notable Oswalds – serves as a fitting backdrop for someone aiming to establish a relatable public persona. Notable figures such as the Prince of Wales, Princess Eugenie, Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece, and high-profile couples like the Blairs, Johnsons, and Beckhams have all reveled in Birley’s hospitality, as noted by Tatler, a magazine synonymous with middle-class British tastes.
On the night before the event, Farage cautioned viewers on GB News that should Reform UK find success in the upcoming elections, he doubted that the establishment would roll out a welcoming spread of gin and tonics. Instead, for the gathering of the Dulwich College alumni golf society captain and his guests, more fitting were the champagne, “jeroboams of white Burgundy, and double magnums of Tempo d’Angelus,” as reported by the Times.
A number of affluent entrepreneurs, who have shown skepticism towards the British political elite by contributing to the Conservative party, were in attendance at Oswald’s alongside Farage. These included Reform’s treasurer, billionaire real estate mogul Nick Candy, non-dom advocate Bassim Haidar, and businessman Mohamed Amersi, who unsuccessfully pursued defamation charges against former Tory MP Charlotte Leslie in 2023.
Also present were Candy’s spouse, singer and actress Holly Valance, and Lady Victoria Hervey, once known for her celebrity status and currently recognized for her efforts to advocate for Ghislaine Maxwell’s release and her social media interactions with MAGA politicians in the United States alongside Liz Truss.
The event reportedly raised over £1 million, according to Reform, and the party subsequently headed to Essex for a rally. Afterward, Farage’s right-hand associate, millionaire property developer Richard Tice, declined to comment on inquiries concerning James McMurdock, the Reform MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock, who had spent 21 days in jail following his conviction for assaulting a former girlfriend 18 years prior.
On Friday night, Oswald’s maintained a subdued atmosphere, with just a couple of chauffeurs passively scrolling through their devices in the limousines parked outside on Albemarle Street, while a few revellers in high heels engaged in conversations.
Birley was absent to address questions regarding the gathering, as a doorman informed; he owns two clubs in London and another in New York, building an empire to succeed that of his father, Mark Birley, who founded several renowned West End venues. The most illustrious among them was Annabel’s, named after his son’s mother, Lady Annabel Goldsmith, who later married businessman James Goldsmith, the founder of the Referendum party.
Mark Birley severed ties with his son after Robin engaged a private investigator to look into his sister India-Jane’s romantic endeavors. In 2012, Robin launched his first club, 5 Hertford Street, which earned notoriety as the “Brexit sex dungeon” due to Farage frequently hosting fellow Eurosceptics like Arron Banks, Michael Gove, Priti Patel, and Boris Johnson, as described in Behind Closed Doors: The Secret Life of London Private Members’ Clubs by Seth Alexander Thévoz.
The club played such a pivotal role for Brexit supporters that Truss ignited controversy in 2022 by insisting on hosting a government-funded luncheon for a US trade representative at 5 Hertford while serving as trade secretary.
“It was here, amid the clinking of champagne glasses in the nightclub, that Brexit trade agreements took shape, rather than in the more traditional clubs on Pall Mall,” Thévoz remarks. “To comprehend Robin Birley’s establishments is to grasp the essence of Brexit.”
