A Reform at Odds with Its Own Country: Leaders Who Don’t Seem to Care for England
I attended Reform’s party conference expecting their chief weakness to be competence—the fear they might appear unprepared for government. I left deeply unsettled. Their real vulnerability is patriotism: a striking number of members seem to care little for England itself. And that, more than any misstep in policy, is profoundly worrying.
Since its inception, the party has always had a somewhat ramshackle character. Lax vetting procedures have led to the selection of unsuitable candidates, leaving many MPs struggling to make an impact. Meanwhile, a number of their policy announcements have relied on shaky reasoning and questionable mathematics, undermining their credibility.
After a period in which the country has suffered deeply from incompetence, this was far from a reassuring sight. The problem persists, yet listening to Richard Tice in particular, it is clear that at least some senior leaders understand the enormity of the challenges ahead and are working diligently to prepare for government.
Regrettably, the overriding impression I left Birmingham with was that, despite their frequent professions of patriotism, many senior leaders seem disconnected from their activists’ genuine love for England and the qualities that make it great.
Consider the conference’s dominant theme: illegal immigration. Reform are surging in the polls on the back of their straightforward pledges—to stop the boats, refuse asylum applications from those arriving illegally, and deport those rejected. They promise to deliver one of the state’s most fundamental responsibilities: effective border control.
Yet Reform speak as though every individual arriving on these boats is a hardened criminal, and as if many are current or potential sex offenders—or purveyors of hate. They frame it as though everyone comes solely to exploit a weak justice system and a welfare state that rewards idleness. Their rhetoric paints Britain as little more than a failing, decaying place.
While there have undoubtedly been instances of criminality and extremism among those arriving in this manner, it is hardly a reassuring message for the rest of us. More tellingly, it reveals a great deal about how Reform views England itself.
Surely those drawn to Britain are at least partly motivated by the fact that we have built one of the greatest nations on earth—a country whose people are hardworking, fair-minded, family-oriented, and decent. A country that has contributed more to the cause of liberal democracy than any other. It is far from perfect, but it is a nation we can rightly take pride in.
Our message to those arriving on small boats should be clear: “we’re not surprised you’re prepared to go to such lengths to come to our great country. Unfortunately, we can’t and won’t take you, but we’ll do our best to help you in your desire to improve your lives.” This approach is both more humane and dignified, while also conveying a far more responsible and reassuring message to the English electorate.
Hearing senior Reformers speak, one is struck by how un-English their political rhetoric sounds. Their words and phrases echo generic Right-wing talking points—so much so that, if translated into American or Continental European political jargon, they would earn nods from far-right activists abroad. Their politics are driven more by ideology than by any sense of English identity.
I make no apology for excluding Nigel Farage and Richard Tice from this critique—and there are, of course, others I would also exempt. Farage and Tice are confident, combative figures who are unmistakably English politicians. Yet, too many of their peers appear driven not by English conviction but by a bland, generic Right-wing populism.
Labour, of course, face their own challenges here. So shaped by international Left-wing thinking, they often speak in broad, internationalist abstractions. The Tories, however, are poised to strike hard at Reform on precisely this front. Within the party, there are enough sharp minds ready to drive the point home with relentless precision.
As ordinary working-class voters proudly raise English flags across the nation, what might appear to be Reform’s greatest strength risks becoming its most glaring vulnerability.
