Reform conference shows a party keen to present itself as normal | Peter Walker
One of the most important unwritten rules of politics is that for a party to become a government it must first look like one,In the UK that involves holding not just rallies but a proper conference,Could Reform pull this off? Well, yes – in part,Previous Reform gatherings have, in effect, been rallies where every speaker was a support act for Nigel Farage,This is fine for grabbing attention and building support, but at some point voters want reassurance that there is a proper, functioning party machine in place, one capable of populating a cabinet of 20-plus people.
The two-day event at the NEC in Birmingham was thus a step beyond anything previously attempted by Reform.The focus was still a vast main arena, but this time there were fringe events, even a handful of business stands.There were also, for the first time, some opposing views.Even by the standards of party gatherings, Reform rallies and conferences have often felt a bit cosy, safe spaces for members to tell one another that they are entitled to hold robust opinions about migration, crime and the environment.But attenders of Friday’s fringe programme – still much smaller than its equivalents at Labour or Conservative conferences – heard at one early event some liberal thoughts on prisons from rehabilitation campaigners.
This was balanced by the Reform MP Sarah Pochin, who told the event that hundreds of town centre police stations could be reopened by saving money “wasted sending police on training courses for 70 different pronouns and all that rubbish”,Even more bold was the decision to invite the Antisemitism Policy Trust to host an event it has organised at other party conferences about the pernicious influence of conspiracy theories, including a presentation about how often these are aired by some Reform activists,The overall sense was of a party keen to present itself as normal, mainstream,Even Andrea Jenkyns, the Tory defector-turned Lincolnshire mayor, usually a one-woman news and controversy machine, stayed pretty much on message beyond an early call for the UK to, “drill, baby, drill”,There was some inevitable leakage when party members had their say.
At the conspiracy theory fringe, an activist called Rupert insisted that the former leader of the World Economic Forum had confessed he was “controlling and training up all the world leaders”, comments that brought a weary shaking of heads from the panel,Similarly, while the business area included some big names, such as the transport giant First Group, it also featured stands for cryptocurrency and investment in gold bullion, the latter endorsed by Farage himself,Overall, it was something of a work in progress, and understandably so,Reform’s great asset, and simultaneously its potential weakness, is that everything revolves around Nigel Farage,On that front, nothing much has changed.
Sign up to First EditionOur morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what’s happening and why it mattersafter newsletter promotionSo it was that in an apparent attempt to shoehorn the party leader on news bulletins dominated by Angela Rayner’s resignation, the conference timetable was hastily ripped up so Farage’s speech to the main arena could be moved from 5pm to 1pm.Beyond Farage, as a party with just four MPs (and two ex-MPs), Reform is short on star power, also obvious in Birmingham.Pochin had to leave the fringe event on justice after only half an hour, and at almost any point of the day you could witness one of the MPs or the former party chair Zia Yusuf being shuttled between engagements by burly guards.Some of this gap has been filled with defectors such as Jenkyns – and, in the big pre-conference reveal, the former Conservative cabinet minister, Nadine Dorries, who joined Farage on stage.Reform is aware that too frequent a conveyor belt of former Tories risks giving the impression that Reform is not bold and new but merely a refuge or retirement home for a party Farage routinely condemns as having wrecked the UK.
But as Farage himself has privately said, at least some defections are necessary for a party that otherwise has zero experience of government and – according to Farage’s timeline – could be in power as early as 2027,Would it be ready? On the evidence of the scene in Birmingham, possibly not,But does it believe it can do it? Absolutely,
Jaguar Land Rover staff told to stay home after cyber-attack
Jaguar Land Rover has told its factory staff to stay home until at least next Tuesday as it continues to deal with the effects of a cyber-attack.The carmaker has had to stop production at its factories in Merseyside and the West Midlands after hackers infiltrated its systems.Production workers in Halewood on Merseyside and Solihull in the West Midlands and at JLR’s engine manufacturing site in Wolverhampton have been told to stay away until 9 September, in a tacit admission that a swift resolution to the problem is unlikely.The UK’s biggest car manufacturer, owned by India’s Tata group, halted production at the sites after discovering the breach on Sunday. It has since said its global operations had been “severely disrupted” by the cyber incident
Average UK house price rises to record £299,331, says Halifax
UK house prices rose for a third consecutive month in August, pushing the average price of a property to a record high as momentum returns to the market.Prices increased by 0.3% month on month in August – after a 0.4% rise in July and a 0.1% increase in June – pushing the average cost of a UK home to £299,331
Head of UK’s beleaguered Alan Turing Institute resigns
The chief executive of the UK’s leading artificial intelligence institute is stepping down after a staff revolt and government calls for a strategic overhaul.Jean Innes has led the Alan Turing Institute since 2023, but her position has come under pressure amid widespread discontent within the organisation and a demand from its biggest funder, the UK government, for a change in direction.ATI said the search was already under way for a replacement for Innes, who held senior roles in the civil service and technology industry before her appointment.Government sources pointed to a letter sent by the technology secretary, Peter Kyle, to ATI’s chair in July that demanded strategic change and indicated a need for new leadership.In the letter, Kyle said the institute should switch its focus to defence and national security and urged “careful consideration” on having an appropriate executive team in place for such a move
Quantum computing firm reaches $10bn valuation as investor interest builds
A British quantum computing entrepreneur has doubled the value of his stake in the business he founded to $2bn (£1.5bn), after the company achieved a $10bn valuation in its latest fundraising.Ilyas Khan, 63, is the founder of Quantinuum, a UK-US firm that announced on Thursday it had raised $600m as investor interest builds in the cutting-edge technology.Khan set up Quantinuum’s predecessor company, Cambridge Quantum, in 2014 before it merged with the US-based Honeywell Quantum Solutions in 2021.Khan, a former owner of his home town’s football club Accrington Stanley, is now chief product officer at the business and to date has not sold any shares since founding it more than a decade ago
Anisimova faces battle with Sabalenka and recent demons at US Open final
The 24-year-old endured humiliation at Wimbledon but has pulled off a rapid and remarkable comebackAmanda Anisimova was struggling to maintain her composure in the days leading up to the final grand slam tournament of the year. As the American braced herself for her first round match, her high expectations became a source of significant stress. In hindsight, this was nothing out of the ordinary. “I think most players are putting a lot of pressure on themselves and those few days before the tournament are pretty stressful, just the anticipation of it,” she said after reaching round three. “I feel it was natural for me to feel that way
‘Living the dream’: Hamilton savours first Italian GP in Ferrari colours
Were there any doubt of the import in Lewis Hamilton having joined Ferrari, it was summarily dismissed in the shadow of the Duomo di Milano on the Wednesday before this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix. There, on the Piazzetta Reale, fans had gathered in a vast throng since the early morning to greet Hamilton as he prepares for his debut with Ferrari at their home race.The Piazzetta Reale – Royal Square – was an entirely apt locale as in Monza this weekend Hamilton and teammate Charles Leclerc are as close as any F1 drivers come to being considered royalty. The vociferous vocal acclaim that greeted them had begun 15 minutes before they appeared and all but drowned out attempts at interviews, according to Corriere della Sera.“They sign autographs
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