Reform UK vote share up 9% in council by-elections, as party prepares for local polls in May

ITV News Political Correspondent Harry Horton spent time with Reform's leadership and grassroots members, as they prepare for the local elections in May

“Who bought this oat milk?” shouts Nigel Farage with a characteristic grin.

His workforce of young, mainly male political operatives laugh approvingly. “Someone’s bought vegan milk for the office fridge,” says Reform UK’s leader, shaking his head.

A young aide is dispatched to a local shop to buy some whole milk. “It’s growing in popularity, you know,” says Farage.

He’s in a good mood after what he calls a “turbulent” few weeks. One of his MPs, Rupert Lowe, has been kicked out the party following a very public spat (an independent KC is investigating allegations of misconduct, which Mr Lowe strongly denies). A handful of other councillors and party officials have quit - something Mr Farage dismisses: “we're gaining far more than we've lost.”

Why do people keep seeming to fall out with you? Harry asks Farage

In the corner of the office is a whiteboard with a list of council areas still needing candidates. Most have numbers in the low singles, a few are double digit. “We're struggling a bit in places, just because we haven't built branches,” says Farage.

Reform UK has the momentum in British politics at the moment. ITV News has analysed data from more than two hundred council by-elections held since last year’s general election. Reform’s vote share is up by more than nine percent in those council seats - more than any other party. Since Kemi Badenoch became Conservative leader in October, Reform’s vote share has increased even further in council by-elections - up almost fifteen percent.

The increase is partly down the party’s ability to stand more candidates. Last August, Reform UK stood in just a third of council by-elections. By March - it was almost every single one.

To capitalise on that momentum - Reform has been holding campaign rallies across the UK. Several hundred attended one in Hull last month. On stage, Nigel Farage implored party members to knock on doors, put up posters and encourage friends and family to vote for Reform at May’s local elections.

But many of Reform’s members are entirely new to party politics and lack any prior experience of canvassing, the bread and butter of local politics that is key to the major parties success.

“It's great to have people who are fresh and new into politics,” says Nigel Farage. “The downside is the lack of experience, the lack of knowing what to do. And most of our branches are literally first timers. So there's a lot of handholding needs to go on.”

Does that worry him? “I'm worried if we can't direct keen enthusiasts into doing the right things.”

Reform’s other huge task has been recruiting, training and vetting candidates. A series of stories about candidates who had made racist, offensive statements in the past caused almost daily headaches for Reform at last year’s general election.

Farage says Reform UK have to turn away 35 percent of people who come forward as candidates

“It hurt us and you look back at it, but it deserve to hurt us,” says Farage. He estimates the party's “brutal” new vetting process has turned away 35 percent of candidates. “Internally we’re criticised for being overly strict, but we have to find the balance, right?”

At the rally in Hull, Farage was introduced by Maria Bowtell, a councillor in East Yorkshire. Two weeks later she quit the party accusing the leadership of having a "lack of integrity and resolve" and a “disregard” for party members.

“People come and go in parties all the time, in their tens of thousands every year,” says Farage. “I'm disappointed for her. She's thrown away the chance to be an MP.”

Has the public infighting, in particularly with Rupert Lowe, caused any harm? “At the edges, yes. There’s a one or 2% of the party who think he's the great man and he's been unfairly treated. But they haven’t heard what I believe to be the full story.”

May’s local elections will see if Reform UK can capitalise on their growth in membership and in the opinion polls - and show whether Nigel Farage really is on the road to becoming prime minister.

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