Reform UK
UK right-populist party led by Nigel Farage; governs 14 English councils after May 2026.
Reform UK took two gifts of £36m each in September, from Ben Delo on 11 September and Christopher Harborne a day later, PA Media reported; neither is yet on the Electoral Commission register.
Last refreshed: 7 October 2026 · Appears in 2 active topics
Will the funding scrutiny and the Old Catton loss dent Reform's rock-steady 23-25% before Clacton?
Timeline for Reform UK
Lost two Northumberland seats and four councillors to Restore Britain
UK Local Elections 2026: Labour takes Hirst and Amble from ReformMentioned in: Burnham pledges to change voting system
UK Local Elections 2026Changed its leader in Wales
UK Local Elections 2026: Rhun ap Iorwerth sets six goals for WalesVoted in none of the five divisions
UK Local Elections 2026: Marra's MSPs vote for right to decideMentioned in: Lib Dem Amjid Ali takes over Luton
UK Local Elections 2026Background
Reform UK is a UK right-populist party led by Nigel Farage. Its platform combines immigration restriction, NHS Reform and opposition to net-zero climate policy. It was founded as the Brexit Party before adopting its present name.
The party has built representation across Westminster, local government and the devolved nations. On 7 May, it entered the Scottish Parliament with 17 MSPs and expanded its English council base to 2,126 councillors.
During September, Mark Pack's count of councillors elected in May WHO had since left Reform reached 30. At Westminster, Nigel Farage won back Clacton at a by-election on 13 August by 12,784 votes.
Reform faces funding scrutiny
Reform UK took two gifts of £36m each in September, PA Media reported: Ben Delo's was announced on 11 September and Christopher Harborne's a day later. Neither will appear on the Electoral Commission register before the third-quarter release. The party's second-quarter return, published on 3 September, showed £5,437,360 received in April to June, the most of any party, £4m of which came as two Delo cash cheques.
That money arrives as Parliament rewrites the rules on donations. The Commons passed the Representation of the People Bill by 411 to 102 on 2 September, with Danny Kruger speaking against it for Reform, and the retrospective ban on cryptocurrency donations survived into the Lords.
Reform loses council ground
On 1 October, Reform UK lost two Northumberland County Council seats, Hirst and Amble, to Labour, which won Amble on 38.8%. They were among the first autumn by-elections with Restore Britain on the ballot, and four Reform councillors elsewhere moved to Restore during September.
The party's council strength has also weakened in Durham. By 7 October, Reform held 50 of 98 seats, down from 65 won in May 2025. Its local governing test now includes retaining councillors and defending wards, not only winning new seats.