Nigel Farage will launch Reform UK’s local election campaign at the biggest political rally in modern history with 10,000 supporters expected to turn up. The leader predicted the insurgent party will win 200 council seats in the local elections from a standing start after a massive push to “professionalise” its operations.
Writing in the Daily Express, Mr Farage said the upcoming May elections will be the next step for Reform in proving to voters and the political establishment that his party is a credible choice for government. “It’s clear that the country is crying out for change and voters continue to see Reform as a credible choice for government. May 1st is the next step to forward to making that happen,” he said. Thousands of supporters will descend on Birmingham on March 28 for the Reform rally.
:
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
Nigel Farage has set out the stakes of the upcoming council elections (Image: Getty)
Mr Farage more than 10,000 tickets have been sold, adding he “hopes to see many Daily Express readers in attendance”.
Hoping to put the past fortnight’s infighting behind him following Rupert Lowe’s expulsion, Mr Farage points to polls from the past week showing that the drama hasn’t dented Reform’s support among voters.
With the party averaging 26% in most polls, and frequently ahead of both Labour and the , Mr Farage also publicly states that his target in May is to win 200 seats in England for the first time.
Party chairman Zia Yusuf said: “Reform reconfirmed its remarkable polling this week, it’s clear Britain wants real change.”
“I invite all Express readers to come and join 10,000 Reform UK supporters at Birmingham Arena on the 28 March as we reveal our council and mayoral candidates. It will be the biggest Reform event so far.”
There are 1,641 council seats up for grabs in the coming vote, with the set to lose hundreds following their record-high showing under four years ago.
Analysis published last Friday suggests Reform could have expected to win more councils than any other party, however a decision by Deputy Prime Minister to allow some authorities to delay their votes means they will be deprived of an overall victory.
An MRP poll based on 5,400 voters suggests the will hold overall control of 10 councils, just ahead of eight set to be nabbed by Reform.
Zia Yusuf says the polls still show Britain wants real change (Image: Getty)
However Ms Rayner dealt a blow to the party’s prospects with delays to elections in Thurrock, Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex, where Reform is polling higher than the national average, because a local government shake up is being planned.
Had these elections gone ahead, Mr Farage could have been on course to win 12 councils compared to the ’ 11 and the LibDems’ eight.
Mr Farage’s stated target of 200 gains in May is lower than that forecast by local election expert Lord Hayward, who said that despite cancelled elections in Reform strongholds the party has no excuse not to win over 400 seats.
Speaking at his annual briefing last week, Lord Hayward claimed that the , Labour and Reform should be aiming for around 450 councillors each given current national polls.
He explained: “You can probably reasonably argue that a party should have as a target – Conservative, Labour and Reform – of around 450 to say they’re doing reasonably well.”
“Somewhere around that 450-500 mark should be a target.”
Mr Farage’s prediction comes ahead of a Reform press conference in Whitehall today.
The local elections are also set to be a potential make-or-break moment for Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch, after it was claimed plotters are preparing to use the Tory wipeout as a moment to oust her.
Don’t miss…
The Tories are set to lose hundreds of council seats in May (Image: Getty)
Speaking to the Sunday Times, a rebel claimed they want to “get her out sharpish” following the May ballot, should polls prove right and the lose hundreds of councillors.
One plotter has drawn up a media “grid” of attacks to “make the Tory leader’s life difficult after May”.
Another claimed: “We’ll get her out sharpish.”
It has been claimed that Mr Farage is now meeting with Dominic Cummings to discuss the future of the right in British politics.
Despite falling out during the referendum, when Mr Cummings believed the then-UKIP leader was a toxic presence who would lose the campaign support, the pair met before Christmas to discuss how to upend British politics and destroy the Tory party.
It has been reported that their conversation focused on how to win power, how to take on the civil service, and what lessons the right in Britain can learn from and .
A friend of Mr Cummings said: “Neither side discussed Dom working for Reform”.
Last month Mr Cummings – who served as ’s chief of staff in Downing Street – publicly called on voters to back Reform at the local elections in order to remove Ms Badenoch as Tory leader.
He publicly set out his plan on his Substack blog: “Shove out Kemi ASAP, take over , get Trump/Elon to facilitate a merger with Reform”.
He branded the as “dead in every way” and said voters should back Farage in order to “help start the avalanche” that will remove Ms Badenoch from the top Tory job.
A new ‘Unite the Right’ campaign suggests the and Reform should copy the model of the centre-right party in Germany, which campaigns as two different entities in different parts of the country, but unite in parliament.
A former Tory advisor explained: “ and Reform should become the CDU-CSU. in the south, Reform in the north.”
Reform sources insist they have no interest in a pact, which they say would only save the from oblivion.