Previously known as the Brexit Party under former leader Nigel Farage, Reform UK is a renewed right-wing political party promising to reform the UK.
Rebranded in 2021, as an anti-lockdown party, it has changed its focus now to reforming the UK pledging to cut taxes, control immigration and end NHS waiting lists.
As the conservatives continue to lose support, Reform UK is capitalising with support growing from 3% in 2022, to 7% in 2023 to 12% in 2024 in the latest YouGov poll.
Reform UK has the opportunity with growing support to undermine the conservatives at the next election. Although unlikely to win a seat, their share of the vote percentage tends to come from conservative voters reducing conservatives share.
When UKIP won 12.6% of the vote in 2015, it severely impacted the Conservatives acting as a soft influence, forcing their hand more with Brexit.
However. recently the Brexit party/Reform maintained a truce with the Conservatives not to stand in 317 seats as long as they stuck to their Brexit promises.
But as discontent over immigration and with the conservatives grows Reform is changing strategy. Richard Tice the leader said that they have around 630 candidates standing everywhere except Northern Ireland and criticised the Conservatives for wasting the opportunity they gave them.
Reform is planning to target industrial heartlands, as their presence continues to grow it means that the interference they cause to the elections will grow.
For any politics student looking to get involved in party politics or campaigning as a new party there is likely to be loads of opportunity here. Skills are always transferrable to jobs at other parties as parties recognise views can change, and parties ideology changes often too.