Nigel Farage promises Reform will be ‘vetting candidates rigorously’ in future

Nigel Farage has promised that Reform UK will “be vetting candidates rigorously at all levels” in future as he delivered his keynote speech to the party’s conference.

Addressing the crowds in Birmingham, Mr Farage said the party has not got “time” or “room” for “a few extremists to wreck the work of a party that now has 80,000 members”.

He described the weekend’s conference as the point his party “comes of age” after it secured five MPs at the general election in July.

Reflecting on the hours immediately after the election, Mr Farage said that he said “yes of course, I would represent the constituency” but he had a “job to professionalise and democratise Reform UK”.

“That was a solemn promise and pledge that I made to you, the members.”

Mr Farage told the crowds that he thinks his “promise to professionalise the party is now on track”, and added: “I also promise that in future we will be vetting candidates rigorously at all levels, I promise you that.

“We haven’t got time, we haven’t got room for a few extremists to wreck the work of a party that now has 80,000 members and rising by hundreds every single day.”

The five Reform UK MPs elected at the general election all spoke in the auditorium on Friday, the first day of the weekend conference at which Mr Farage said his party “comes of age”.

“The infant that Reform UK was has been growing up,” he said in his speech.

“We had the teenage tantrums which were those that caused us harm in the general election. But we’re now at a different point. The party is an adult, and this weekend, this weekend is when Reform UK comes of age.”

The Liberal Democrats secured 72 seats at the general election on a smaller popular vote share than Reform UK, and Mr Farage told delegates that his party has to “model ourselves on the Liberal Democrats” in future.

“That doesn’t mean that you’ll see me cascading down waterfalls and I won’t behave in a way that I think is particularly stupid even if others think I do,” he said.

“But the Liberal Democrats build branches, the Liberal Democrats win seats at district, county and unitary level.

“The Liberal Democrats build on that strength, the Liberal Democrats put literature and leaflets through doors repeatedly in their target areas.”

Speaking before Mr Farage, Ashfield MP Lee Anderson claimed that his party will win “hundreds of seats” at council elections in 2025.

“Next year, we’re going to win hundreds of seats, council seats, across the country – that’s a fact,” he said.

Mr Farage also said the party will need to win “hundreds” of council seats to classify the local elections as a success.

He told reporters after day one of the conference: “It’ll have to be hundreds, and that’s the goal. That’s the end”.

He added: “Basically, there’s so much I can do at the top, there’s so much Zia can do at the top, Richard can do at the top, but ultimately it is that Lib Dem machine on the ground that we need to build. And I’m not saying it’s easy, but I do sense, and you saw it today, these people are genuinely enthusiastic. I mean they really want to do this.”

Asked if Reform was a “taxpayer-funded side hustle” due to his voting record in the Commons, Mr Farage said: “As far as the voting is concerned, I voted more than the other party leaders”.

Mr Farage referred to the comments of SAS: Who Dares Wins star Ant Middleton who spoke at the conference and said he thinks the country is in “societal decline”.

He said civil unrest has “been happening and it’s getting worse”.

He added: “You can’t even walk through the West End of London wearing a watch after nine o’clock at night and women can’t wear jewellery.

“So, you know, are we in societal decline? Yeah, I think we are.”

Earlier on Friday, the party’s deputy leader Richard Tice told the PA news agency that Mr Farage’s relationship with former US president Donald Trump is “to the benefit of this country”.

Mr Farage has visited the US three times since being elected as the MP for Clacton, including attending the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee two weeks after the election.

Speaking ahead of the conference starting, Mr Tice said that “as a leader of a party that is now becoming mainstream, international affairs, our relationship with our most important, strategic international partner – the US – is very important and the world will be a safer place if Donald Trump wins the presidential election”.

“Nigel’s strong relationship with Donald Trump is actually to the benefit of this country and it’s quite right that he cements and strengthens that,” Mr Tice added.