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As 2024 draws to a close, Nigel Farage’s Reform UK is pulling in the cash, whether from billionaire donors or punters betting that the populist party is on the verge of turning British politics on its head.
Ladbrokes now has Farage as 5/2 favourite to succeed Sir Keir Starmer as prime minister, ahead of Kemi Badenoch, leader of the Conservative opposition. This week property tycoon Nick Candy switched his support from the Tories to Reform, taking on the role of fundraiser and vowing to bring in “tens of millions” for the party. Farage may have momentum, but can he turn a rag-tag start-up party with just five MPs into a serious vehicle for power? “Farage can articulate the disenchantment of the British public better than any other political leader,” said election expert Professor Sir John Curtice. “But can he create a political party?”
As deputy leader Richard Tice points out, Reform has “maxed out” its war of attrition on the airwaves and social media. “We need a ground game, and that takes money,” he said. Next year will be vital in building that ground operation — notably with local elections in May — and trying to prove that Reform UK can become a national party and a viable government in waiting ahead of the next general election, which is expected in 2029....
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