#reform-uk

#reform-uk

An idiot's guide to running a byelection campaign. First, know your constituency boundaries. Sometimes easier said than done. On Tuesday morning, Lee Anderson was to be found doing a photo op for the Gorton and Denton byelection by posing outside the Stanley hotel. Which just happens to be in Angela Rayner's constituency. Shame that someone pointed out Anderson's mistake. He could happily have spent the next four weeks knocking on the wrong doors.

"Indeed, any elected politician who wants to play a part in our movement and help turn Britain around has until that date to apply to join Reform," Farage wrote in The Telegraph of the deadline, saying after that the door will be shut to current and former MPs, as well as councillors.

The party claimed in its manifesto that this would improve the general standard of care by reducing demands on the NHS. Its leader, Nigel Farage, appeared to double down on this commitment at a press conference last summer, saying: Perhaps if we gave people a bit of tax relief on paying for private health care, we might just relieve the pressure off the National Health Service.

James Evans has been removed from the shadow cabinet and had the whip withdrawn making him an independent, Tory Senedd leader Darren Millar has said. Millar said he did so on Tuesday morning "after being informed by James that he was continuing to engage with Reform representatives about the possibility of defecting to the party in spite of his personal assurances on Friday that he had rejected an approach they initiated last week".

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

Nigel Farage has insisted Reform UK will not become "the Conservative Party 2.0" following the defection of former senior Tory Robert Jenrick. Writing in the Telegraph, the party's leader said Reform "is not a rescue charity for every panicky Tory MP" and any potential defectors would have to be prepared to admit publicly that the previous Conservative government "broke the country".

For Sam Smith, Thursday began as an ordinary day. The Conservative councillor was preparing for a budget scrutiny meeting at the Reform-led Nottinghamshire county council hall, where he is leader of the opposition, when he received a message from long-time friend Robert Jenrick. The MP's message to the Newark Conservative Association's group chat queried what local pubs they could visit to oppose Labour's hike on business rates.

Laila Cunningham, who was announced as Reform's candidate for the 2028 mayoral elections last week, said no one should cover their face in an open society, adding: It has to be assumed that if you're hiding your face, you're hiding it for a criminal reason. Cunningham told the Standard podcast: If you go to parts of London, it does feel like a Muslim city. The signs are written in a different language. You've got burqas being sold in markets.

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

The results show students' views on free issues tend to be nuanced and they sometimes seem contradictory. In particular, while the principle of free speech has stronger support from students than in the past, so do specific bans. While 35% said they would bar Reform politicians from speaking, that included 41% of those who said they voted for Reform in the 2024 general election.

There are 14 former Conservatives, five independents and one Green among the new batch of Reform UK councillors, who represent areas such as Stoke-on-Trent, Thanet and Bolsover. The new intake include a former BBC journalist, a man who was held hostage by Iraq, and an engineer who has quit the left-wing party led by Zack Polanski to join Reform UK.