Is Reform UK gaining traction in London?

Under the leadership of Nigel Farage, the party claims to have quadrupled its membership in the year following the general election, during which it secured five seats, including one for Farage in Clacton.

In the 2024 election, Reform UK received the third-largest share of the votes nationally, over 14%, attracting half a million more votes than the Liberal Democrats.

Polling indicates that while London may have a lower proportion of current Reform supporters, a greater number of residents express willingness to vote for the party in the future.

Not far from London, Reform UK has gained control of Kent County Council, a position that had traditionally been held by the Conservatives.

Additionally, the party celebrated the election of its first London Assembly member, Alex Wilson, in May 2024.

Political analyst Prof. Tony Travers discussed on the Politics London program that the party “could perform remarkably well in some of the outer boroughs of London, particularly in areas that favored Leave during the Brexit referendum, such as Barking and Dagenham, Havering, Bexley, Hillingdon, and possibly even Sutton.”

He noted, “These regions could pose a significant challenge to the current parties in power.”

Laila Cunningham, a city councillor in Westminster who switched allegiance from the Conservatives to Reform UK last week, shared with Politics London that her constituents “often express feelings of disappointment with the previous Conservative administration and their steadfast intent not to support them again.”

She continued, “There is a noticeable deficiency of honesty in contemporary politics, and I found it impossible to justify their record.”

Cunningham asserted that Reform UK is “committed to steering this country back on course, focusing on reducing immigration, cutting crime, minimizing waste, and lowering taxes. Some may label these views as right-wing, but they were once considered mainstream.”

Deirdre Costigan, Labour MP for Ealing Southall, criticized Reform UK’s approach, noting that their “primary policy appears to be significant tax cuts for the wealthy.”

She questioned, “What is their plan for funding these tax reductions? The only feasible strategy would involve slashing public services, meaning there would be fewer police officers on London’s streets and a compromised NHS.”

Conservative London Assembly member Alessandro Georgiou remarked during the program that if taken at face value, Farage “represents a tax-and-spend socialist agenda.”

You can view the complete Politics London program on BBC iPlayer.