The film traces the party\u2019s rapid evolution from its origins on the political fringes to its growing presence in Westminster, local government and devolved institutions. Founded in 2018 as the Brexit Party<\/strong> by Nigel Farage<\/strong> and Catherine Blaiklock<\/strong>, the movement was initially focused almost exclusively on leaving the European Union. Renamed Reform UK<\/strong> in January 2021, it has since sought to reposition itself as a broader political force tapping into voter dissatisfaction with the established parties.<\/p>\n Today, Reform UK has eight MPs<\/strong>, representation in the London Assembly<\/strong>, the House of Lords<\/strong>, the Senedd<\/strong> and the Scottish Parliament<\/strong>, as well as a police and crime commissioner<\/strong> and control of twelve local councils<\/strong>. Since Farage returned as leader in June 2024, the party has sharpened its messaging and organisational discipline, presenting itself as a serious challenger to the Conservatives \u2014 and, in some areas, as their outright replacement.<\/p>\n Kuenssberg\u2019s film explores whether that transformation runs deeper than branding. Through interviews with senior figures, she examines Reform UK\u2019s efforts to professionalise its operation, broaden its policy platform and build the infrastructure required of a governing party.<\/p>\n The documentary also interrogates the internal tensions that come with rapid growth, and the challenges of moving from protest politics to practical administration.<\/p>\n Ideologically, Reform UK occupies contested territory. It defines itself as a right-wing populist party with a strong focus on immigration, particularly opposition to illegal migration. Critics and commentators have variously described it as far-right or radical right, while others characterise it as national conservative, right-wing nationalist or neoliberal in parts of its economic outlook.<\/p>\n Farage himself has argued that Reform UK represents a \u201cbrand new Conservative movement\u201d, seeking to capitalise on what he portrays as a vacuum on the right of British politics.<\/p>\n Crucially, the programme situates Reform UK\u2019s rise within a broader mood of political volatility. Kuenssberg examines how frustration with traditional parties, distrust of institutions and a sense of economic and cultural dislocation have created fertile ground for insurgent movements \u2014 and asks whether Reform UK\u2019s success reflects a temporary protest vote or a lasting realignment.<\/p>\n Rather than campaigning for or against the party, Reform: Ready to Rule? <\/strong>positions itself as a test of credibility: can a movement built on disruption adapt to the compromises, scrutiny and responsibility that come with power? And if it cannot, what does its popularity still tell us about the state of British democracy?<\/p>\n In a political landscape increasingly shaped by fragmentation and volatility, the documentary offers a timely examination of a party that is no longer on the margins \u2014 and may soon be impossible to ignore.<\/p>\n Reform: Ready to Rule? BBC Two, Wednesday 4 February 9pm<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BBC Two this week look at the party that wants to change British politics With Reform UK consistently…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":733150,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5018,3,4],"tags":[192,194,748,393,4884,180620,384,1144,386,712,16,15,1764],"class_list":["post-733149","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-britain","category-uk","category-united-kingdom","tag-bbc","tag-bbc-two","tag-britain","tag-england","tag-great-britain","tag-laura-kuenssberg","tag-nigel-farage","tag-northern-ireland","tag-reform-uk","tag-scotland","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-wales"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115990081413718564","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/733149","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=733149"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/733149\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/733150"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=733149"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=733149"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=733149"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/farrage.jpg\")
Nigel takes hard hitting questions on ITV\u2019s Loose Women \/ ITV<\/p>\n