Ben Habib has been grilled by GB News host Martin Daubney on the launch of his new political party, warning him of "splitting the Reform vote".

In an announcement video posted on social media, Habib launched Advance UK, hailed by him as a new "political force on the British political landscape".

Habib said: "The simple truth of the matter is that the United Kingdom is in deep, deep trouble. We face multiple existential threats constitutionally, culturally, and economically."

Pressed by GB News host Martin Daubney on what the "point is" of launching the party, Habib claimed: "The point is that viewers may not believe this, but there isn't a single political party that actually stands for the nation state of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland."

Martin Daubney grilled Ben Habib on the launch of his new party, Advance UK

Taking aim at Reform UK and its leader Nigel Farage, Habib added: "Viewers will probably agree that the Tory party has been hijacked, but they'll think Reform might offer up some of these aims that I've just described.

"But Reform, actually, when you look carefully at what Reform is doing, it doesn't stand for the nation state of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

"Farage is on the record saying a united Ireland is inevitable, he doesn't stand for free speech, he's forever policing his own membership to see what they said on Twitter and then ignominiously chucking them out of the party.

"As far as democracy is concerned, he doesn't have a democratic party, so he can't stand for the democracy that is the United Kingdom and not have a democracy within his own party."

Interjecting Habib, GB News Political Editor Christopher Hope said his claims are "insane".

Ben Habib has launched his own political party, Advance UK

Grilling Habib on how his party will now contribute to "splitting the vote" for Reform and allowing voters to drift to the left, the Advance UK leader disagreed, stating: "I would have worked with Reform UK if it had actually established some kind of democratic constitution within itself, but it hasn't.

"Notwithstanding all the declarations made by Farage and Yusuf, they haven't done it. But just addressing your splitting the vote point.

"We are four years away from an election, the key is to set the direction of travel and the policy agenda that is required to save the United Kingdom."

Pressed again by Martin on whether his party is essentially a "pressure group", Habib hit back: "It's not a pressure group, I have set a minimum target of 30,000 members that we have to achieve, which by the way, is about the same number of members that Reform had just before the general election last year.

"So it's a sizeable number of people, which you can count on to campaign around the country and so on. I've set that as a target, in part because I want the British people to validate my belief that we do need a new political force, and we won't become a fully fledged political party until I get that validation from the British people."

Habib told GB News that Nigel Farage 'doesn't have a joined up political philosophy'

Habib added: "This party is by the people and for the people. That might sound a bit quiche, but it's absolutely the fact."

Christopher then interjected, claiming the party appears to sound like a "gigantic ego trip for Ben Habib", declaring "you're no Nigel Farage!"

Habib responded: "The persona of Nigel Farage is great, the reality is not so good. He is taking into his party a whole load of Liberal Democrats and Labour councillors.

"Farage is the most brilliant campaigner, he's the most brilliant political expedient, but he doesn't have a joined up political philosophy. He doesn't have a coherent philosophy."