Reform UK leader Richard Tice is, like his predecessor Nigel Farage, a perfectly affable chap who loves nothing more than a chinwag with members of the media. So when I arrived in Westminster this morning for my first press conference of the year, I wasn’t expecting the outcome I got.
The conference room of the smart, central Westminster Conrad Hotel, was buzzing when we arrived. A throng of TV cameras were already positioned outside the building, as well as inside the small but well-packed room.
Unfortunately for Mr Tice, one got the immediate sense the cameras weren’t necessarily there for him.
No, once again all the talk in the room centred around a man who left frontline politics four years ago, and since then has become a TV presenter-turned-jungle celebrity, Nigel Farage.
Was he about to be unveiled as the party’s new leader? Or chief political campaigner? Or even their Wellingborough by-election candidate?
No, came the simple reply.
To the chagrin of the assembled hacks, Mr Farage has not yet decided what role he wishes to play for Reform UK come the General Election.
On the one hand, this deflated the room of expectant journalists and activists; on the other, it ensures the papers continue to be filled with wild speculation regarding what damage Mr Farage and Reform UK could do to Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer – and that, for now, is no bad prize.
What I wanted to probe Richard Tice about, however, was not Nigel Farage, but the more fundamental question of what exactly Reform UK hope to achieve.
Reaching 10 percent in the polls despite seemingly little mainstream cut-through is no mean feat, and could certainly deal damage to Rishi Sunak. However, as Lee Anderson himself is right to point out, taking Tory votes and handing marginal seats to a Labour Party already 20 points ahead in the polls looks like it will only hurt, not protect, the perfect Brexit deal Reform UK long for.
In 2019, Labour’s Wellingborough candidate, Gen Kitchen – yes, I’ve checked, it’s a real name – signed a pledge promising to back a second Brexit referendum and campaign for remain.
I put it to Mr Tice that Reform UK taking enough Tory votes in the crunch by-election, and handing the seat to Labour, would back up Mr Anderson’s attack that Reform UK is a threat to Brexit.
I had not even concluded my question – that going to bed with Richard Tice would see voters unexpectedly waking up with Keir Starmer – before the energetic party leader cut me off.
“No! I’ll stop you now! You’ve completely misjudged the whole point!” He tiraded.
Wellingborough, he informed us, is a “strong Brexit seat”.
“The last thing they want is a Remainer who wanted to contravene democracy as their MP!
“Peter Bone, the outgoing MP is a strong Brexiteer. So no, they will not say ‘I’m voting Labour, but I’ll vote for one of the strongest Brexiteers in the country Ben Habib.”
He concluded that this is the key reason his party has a “cracking chance” of taking the seat.
I remain unconvinced.
Admittedly, so did Ben Habib. Speaking to the Express after the press conference, he suggested matching Reform UK’s national vote share of 10 percent in the seat would be a good result.
While it would be much higher than Reform UK has managed in any other by-election this parliament, it would be well below Ukip’s 2015 performance, and certain to take more Tory votes than Labour in what is expected to be the tightest election since Uxbridge.
Still, I appeared to win Mr Tice around later on in the press conference after he told one journalist voters may be “excited” by the prospect of “President Farage”.
When I asked whether this implied Reform UK supports abolishing the monarchy, Mr Tice gave a hearty chuckle and clarified this is not his position.
Express readers may like Nigel Farage, but I speculate replacing King Charles III a year after his Coronation would not be much of a vote winner.
