British decline 'will soon be at an end'

Nigel Farage's newly-announced Head of Policy said British people had been made "second-class citizens" in their own country.

"We're on the brink of drawing to a close a tragic era in this country's history, Zia Yusuf said at the Reform conference.

"An era in which British people have been made second-class citizens in their own country, an era in which those who played by the rules their whole lives are robbed by the state to pay for those who break them."

He added: "The era of British decline will soon be at an end."

Yusuf takes to the stage

Zia Yusuf, who has been announced as Reform UK's new head of policy, will address the crowd.

The party will set up a department for preparing for government, and he is now giving his conference speech outlining the plans.

Keir Starmer 'very sad' over Rayner's resignation

Prime Minister Keir Starmer says he has been left saddened by Angela Rayner's decision to quit government.

In a three-page handwritten letter, Sir Keir wrote to the former Deputy Prime Minister, who resigned this afternoon over failing to pay enough tax on a flat in Hove, East Sussex.

He told her that he was "very sad that your time has ended in this way".

He said: "As you know we acted in accordance with the strengthened system relating to ministerial conduct that we put in place on coming into Government.

"You were right to refer yourself to the Independent Adviser, and right to act on his conclusions."

Reform name new 'Head of Policy'

Nigel Farage says Zia Yusuf will take on the role of Reform's Head of Policy.

He added that the party will have its own dedicated department for 'preparing for government'.

Farage went on to say: "We will start producing our own oil and gas. We will end the full subsidies for renewable energy which has been going on your bills for years yet no one told you."

Farage and his public welcome for Nadine Dorries

Ex-high profile Tory Nadine Dorries defected to Reform this week and Farage was overly happy to welcome her to the party.

The Reform leader introduced the Boris Johnson loyalist halfway through his speech and let Dorries deliver her "serious message".

Farage gave the ex-Tory a huge hug just before he admitted his party lacked "experience" in government. The Reform leader said: "We have a weakness that none of our senior figures have ever been in government before."

WATCH: Empty seats as Farage speaks

Farage plans to bring back stop and search

The Reform leader promised to bring back a highly controversial measure to tackle knife crime.

Farage said he would "bring back genuine stop and search on our streets".

Farage claims he will stop small boats in 'two weeks' but doesn't say how

The Reform leader promised to stop small boats crossing the channel withitn "two weeks" if his party entered government.

He said: "We will stop the boats and we will detain and deport those who illegally break into our country." He added: "We will stop the boats within two weeks of winning government."

Despite these words, Farage did not explain how his party would be able to deliver this bold promise.

Farage promises welfare cuts as he begs rich to come back to the UK

Nigel Farage said he will cut welfare as he calls it "morally wrong" claiming people on benefits earn more than people who work.

The Reform leader then begged for rich people to come back to the UK as he also claims they have been pushed away.

This comes after the speakers before him called out non-doms leaving and asked for them to come back. Non-doms are UK residents whose permanent home - or domicile - for tax purposes is outside the UK.

This means they only pay tax on money they earn in the UK - meaning they can avoid paying taxes on any money made outside of the country.

Farage claims he will 'save' the country and says 'make Britain great again'

Nigel Farage has claimed people have told him he is the "only person that can save Britain".

He echoed his friend Donald Trump by saying "make Britain great again".

Dorries references Boris Johnson in her speech

Nadine Dorries quickly slammed her old party just hours after she joined Reform.

The Johnsonite told Tory voters the party "do not deserve your loyality".

She appeared to refernece Boris Johnson, whose time as Prime Minister was filled with scandal and Covid parties, by saying: "Any party who removed two election winning prime ministers does not deserve your support."

She added: "Loyalty in a political party is everything."

Nadine Dorries steps out on stage

Boris Johnson obsessed Nadine Dorries walked out on stage after Nigel Farage.

She said she was "delighted" to have switched to Reform.

Farage admits none of Reforms senior figures have been in government

Farage claims next general election could be in 2027

The Reform leader blasted Angela Rayner's resignation and claimed it could lead to an early snap election.

Farage said Reform members had to be ready for his prediction.

Farage eyeing up Scottish seats and London mayoral election

Reform's leader has said he wants to unseat Sadiq Khan from his post as Mayor of London.

Nigel Farage steps out on stage

Nigel Farage has moved his speech forward following Angela Rayner's resignation at Deputy Prime Minister.

The Reform leader opened his speech with: "We are all ships rising on a turquoise tide, headed ever closer towards winning the next general election."

Andrea Jenkyns bizarrely belts out song on stage

Greater Lincolnshire Mayor Andrea Jenkyns has entered Reform UK belting out a song in a fully sequinned jumpsuit.

The former Tory MP said she co-wrote the song with a friend over 20 years ago when she was in a rock band.

After an extravagant entrance singing about insomniacs, she later says: “We are a nation of insomniacs, as Britain is sleepwalking into disaster, but Reform is waking up the establishment.”

Ok I know everyone is distracted rn…but Andrea Jenkyns has just entered Reform UK conference singing in a fully sequinned jumpsuit pic.twitter.com/8f3MkIwHmL

— Sophie Huskisson (@soph_husk) September 5, 2025

Pictured: Reform UK football shirt merch on show

Conference atendees were seen in front of a huge display of football shirts being sold as party merch.

Rayner resignation is 'manna from heaven', councillor says

Dr David Bull, Reform UK’s chairman, opens the party’s conference by saying “Rayner’s resigned”.

The conference centre erupts into huge cheers and claps. “Government is falling apart as we speak,” he says.

A Reform councillor tells me her resignation is “manna from heaven”.

Cheers erupt at Reform conference at Rayner resignation

Sophie here, writing in from a very busy Reform UK conference in Birmingham.

I’m currently sitting in the main stage room, waiting for Dr David Bull to open the conference. The start to the conference has been pretty chaotic, with long queues. The chairman is over 20 minutes late to take the stage.

As I’m sitting in the crowd, not many people are talking about Reform UK - but Angela Rayner. Cheers erupted as it was announced the deputy PM is quitting. A Reform UK councillor told me it was “manna from heaven” for it to happen during the party’s conference.

Reform may not deliver promised tax cuts, deputy leader suggests

Reform's deputy leader Richard Tice has suggested his party might not deliver the £90billion in tax cuts, it promised in its manifesto, if they win the next general election.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4, he said: "We have to focus on the savings because regrettably the finances of this country are in terrible, terrible trouble.

"We will have to deal with whatever nightmare situation the government finances are in at the time of the next general election.

"Our promise is to save money, to cut regulations – we deliver on that, then we deliver direction of travel on tax cuts."

Reform 'preparing for Government' claims Farage ally

Former Reform UK chairman Zia Yusuf has said the party is actively "preparing for government".

He told BBC Breakfast: "Nigel (Farage) is preparing for government. We are taking seriously the important work of getting ready for government.

"We're not going to be like Labour, if the British people see fit to elect a Reform government, we will come into power with a plan."

Farage's joy as Tory wrecking ball defects

Former Tory frontbencher and I'm A Celeb star Nadine Dorries has defected to Reform UK.

Ms Dorries, who has spent more than two years trying to convince the world that Boris Johnson was the victim of an underhand Conservative plot, whined that her old party is "dead". In a brutal jibe at Kemi Badenoch she said: "The Conservative Party cannot win the next election. It removes election winning prime ministers, and replaces them with duds."

The former Culture Secretary quit as an MP in 2023 and blamed "sinister forces" for her not being handed a peerage.

A Liberal Democrat source said: "We don't know who to feel more sorry for, Kemi Badenoch or Nigel Farage."

Nevertheless Mr Farage indicated she would fit right in. He told the Mail: "I am absolutely delighted to welcome Nadine Dorries to Reform UK. She is a hugely successful politician, author and columnist and will be a great boost to our campaign to win the next General Election."

Prisons minister brands Reform prison plans 'absolutely ridiculous'

The prisons minister has branded Nigel Farage’s plan to build prefabricated ad-hoc prisons “absolutely ridiculous”.

In a blistering attack, James Timpson warned that “papier-mache” jails would be “unsafe for staff and the public” as he dismissed the Reform UK leader’s idea.

The minister, who has decades of experience in the justice sector, made the comment ahead of Reform UK’s annual conference, which kicks off on Friday. The Birmingham gathering is expected to be dominated by justice, crime and migration issues after Mr Farage’s summer ‘Lawless Britain’ campaign.

As part of this drive, Mr Farage in July said his party would spend £5billion to build five low-security ‘Nightingale’ prisons on disused Ministry of Defence land. He said the plan - inspired by temporary Nightingale hospitals set up in the pandemic - would create more than 12,000 spaces for lower risk offenders.

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Farage returns to UK after being dubbed 'far-right pro Putin politician' in Congress

Nigel Farage returns to Britain with scathing words from the US Congress ringing in his ears.

In a clip which has been widely shared, he was branded a "far-right, pro-Putin politician" and a "Donald Trump wannabe" as he gave evidence at a hearing on free speech.

Jamie Raskin, the Democrat ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee launched an blistering attack on the Reform leader during the Washington DC hearing - warning the people of the UK to think twice before they let Farage "Make Britain Great Again."

Mr Raskin noted that "UK PM Keir Starmer has not shut down GB News", over its coverage of protests in the UK. Neither has anyone "stopped [Farage] going on Russian TV 17 times" or "parroting Putin's talking points," Mr Raskin added.

"To the people of the UK who think this Putin loving free speech imposter will protect free speech, come over to America and see what Donald Trump is doing in this country," Mr Raskin said, ahead of Farage's evidence.

"You might think twice before you let Mr Farage make Britain great again."

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