Time for Reform

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is frantically trying to avoid the potential bad PR around the byelections by postponing them to 2026-27.

- 

On Boxing Day the ReformUK Party membership (163,612 at the time of writing) overtook the membership of the Conservative Party (131,680 at the time of Leadership election).

ReformUK's leader Nigel Farage claims this makes his party the real Leader of the Opposition in Parliament. Kemi Badenoch, Conservative leader, tried to deny Farage's numbers accusing him of fixing his digital counter, an audit proved the counter correct, now Farage demands an apology and claims whisteblowers report to him that Conservative Campaign Headquarter's ballots were manipulated and Conservative membership numbers are faked.

The Conservatives have 121MPs, Reform UK have 5MPs and Labour have 411Mps; the 1 May 2025 local elections will be a telling test for the Labour Government; already in 2024 ReformUK have realised 30+ local Council seats but the Tories have 1,380 seats to defend. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is frantically trying to avoid the potential bad PR around these byelections by postponing them to 2026-27, his deputy Angela Rayner has proposed dangerous devolution plans to introduce a number of new "Mayors who will have the ability to introduce a "mayoral precept" (new tax), and the ability to oversee Labour's new idea of mega-councils that will combine district and county councils (ergo more layers of control).