Reform UK, the anti-immigration party led by Nigel Farage, has overtaken the Conservative Party in membership numbers for the first time, signaling a significant political shift in Britain.
As of Thursday, the Reform UK website displayed a membership tally exceeding 131,680, surpassing the Conservative Party’s earlier declared figure of 131,680. This milestone comes after the Conservatives faced a historic defeat in the July general election, ending their 14-year reign.
Farage celebrated the achievement as a historic moment, stating, “Reform UK are now the real opposition.” Party chairman Zia Yusuf echoed this sentiment, declaring the end of the Conservatives’ dominance over the center-right in British politics.
Despite securing only five seats in the 650-seat parliament, Reform UK garnered 14% of the total votes, effectively splitting the right-wing vote and capturing former Tory strongholds.
The Labour Party, led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, won the July election in a landslide. However, an Ipsos poll revealed that 53% of Britons expressed disappointment with the new government’s performance in its first five months.
Political commentators have drawn parallels to the decline of Britain’s Liberal Party post-World War I, warning that major parties like the Conservatives could face irreversible downturns in popularity.
Reform UK’s rise highlights the growing appeal of smaller parties amid voter disillusionment with traditional political giants. Farage, a supporter of US President-elect Donald Trump, has hinted at potential financial backing from tech billionaire Elon Musk for his party’s future ambitions.
