“I Just imagine for a moment, just a few years from now, when Prime Minister Nigel Farage arrives triumphantly at No. 10 Downing Street, places his briefcase on his desk, and takes his seat.''・Mr. Yusuf stated. This is what he tells the enthusiastic audience of party members. “Change is coming. We will rebuild this country and restore Britain to its rightful place as one of the world's greatest nations.”
The speech was met with thunderous applause and a standing ovation at the reformist East of England Conference in Kemi Badenoch's rural North West Essex constituency on Saturday.
Around 1,000 people packed into the off-season 'summer marquee' at Chelmsford City Racecourse for the event. The event is one of four parties to be held across England over the course of two weeks.
The mood was positive as a series of speakers praised the Reformers' strong polling numbers and what they saw as a political victory from their ongoing dispute with Tory leader Mr Badenoch over party membership. Full of joy.
Momentum is the word of the day. “There is a lot of momentum for change in British politics, but don't get me wrong, we still have a huge amount of work to do,” Yusuf told the audience, adding that he also works as a volunteer with local election candidates and fundraisers. He called on party members to participate.
Reform is no longer about simply disrupting British politics, but organizing it. Branches have been established all over the country, and an electoral system is slowly but surely being built. Lee Anderson, one of the five pro-reform MPs, used his speech as a call to action after appearing on stage as football chants of “Here we go” blared over the speaker system.
“We have a mountain to climb, but we have plenty of momentum,” he told members. “With local elections this year and Scottish and Welsh elections next year, we must fight for every ballot box in this great country.”
While it's clear the audience is up for the fight, not everyone shares the leadership's optimism. Nick, 67, believes British voters want “something different”, but added: “They may be disappointed with the electoral system, but I think the will is there.”
Fellow Reformist Mark, 61, who wears a Union Jack T-shirt, is a member of Reform's predecessor, the Brexit Party, and is part of the party's fight to turn support into electoral seats. I am familiar with. “We have momentum at the moment, but if we become more of a threat, there will definitely be knives out politically and in the mainstream media,” he said.
Other reformist members worry that the party's membership is currently too narrow to compete with the broad support bases of the major parties. The majority of participants were men over the age of 50, and nearly all were white.
Maria, 65, admits that “the demographics here are very mature.” She worries that her generation of reform supporters will return to the major parties or vote tactically in the next general election.
“They are sheep, not independent thinkers,” she added. “This is a time of change, but we need to attract a wider range of people.”
Asked if he could imagine Mr Farage as the next prime minister, Mr Mallya said the party was “not ready” to take power now but that it could be by 2029, adding: “If tomorrow… “If there were an election, there would be too many sheep,” he added. [sheep people] But I think in a few years, once the money comes in from people like Elon, reform will be more ready. [Musk] It will be very helpful. ”
Despite Mr Farage publicly rejecting Elon Musk's vocal support for far-right activist Tommy Robinson on Friday, there were rumors of a possible major cash injection from the tech billionaire, and the conference It is frequently talked about. Although Robinson himself is not mentioned in any of the speeches, Anderson emphasizes that the Reform supporters are “true British patriots, but they are not far-right.”
Mark, standing in the marquee bar, said Robinson was “someone you don't want to have anything to do with the party”, adding: “If it's Musk, why shouldn't there be disagreements?”
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Nick agreed, saying that Mr Farage and Mr Musk should “agree to disagree”, adding: “But it's hard to believe that both Mr Trump and Mr Musk have such a huge interest in British politics. “It seems rare,” he added.
Several pro-reform speakers hailed Trump's election victory as an example of what the British party can achieve, with some praising Musk as a “hero” and a visionary. But most of the focus was closer to home. Immigration, small boats, crime, the economy, and opposition to green energy policies were central themes.
Mr Yusuf announced that if he came to power, reformers would launch an independent inquiry into the gang raids, and Mr Farage later called for a “full and open national inquiry” to ensure everyone “knows the truth”. ” he called.
Mr Badenoch on Friday called for a national inquiry following a series of Mr Musk's posts on the issue on They called for Defense Minister Phillips to be jailed.
Indeed, independent investigations into the 2014 Rotherham scandal (Jay Report) and the Telford affair were carried out and concluded in 2022. As Director of Public Prosecutions in 2013, Starmer launched legal action against gangs in Rochdale and initiated reforms to the Crown Prosecution Service. .
Mr Farage was widely praised for linking sexual exploitation to “massive open immigration without assimilation”, which he called a “disaster”.
His speech to conclude the conference was the main event. He arrived at the wedding venue walking down the aisle as attendees crowded around him for handshakes and selfies.
On stage, Mr Farage flitted between jokes at Labor's expense and angry rants, sometimes interacting directly with the audience and sometimes looking down at the camera to address people watching the live stream. “We can win the next general election,” he insisted. “This is just the beginning.”
