The Mirror takes a look at 8 of the standout moments from Reform UK’s two-day conference in Birmingham – from Covid jab claims about the Royal family to a mayor singing on stage
Another hate-filled Reform UK conference has now been and gone.
This year Nigel Farage confirmed that he will lock up migrant women and deport them back to the Taliban if he gets elected. The Reform UK leader said he would deport women who arrive in Britain on small boats to Afghanistan as part of his draconian mass deportation plans.
In his hatemongering speech on Friday, the Clacton MP used his keynote address to talk Britain down, declaring the country is in a “very bad place” – and yet offered no solutions to fix it.
And his conference was overshadowed by a row over him not having paid stamp duty on his home in Clacton.
Here we look at 8 of the standout moments from the two-day party conference in Birmingham.
1. Mayor sings in conference
Reform UK conference kicked off with one of its mayors astonishingly singing her way onto the stage while dressed head to toe in sequins. After being introduced for her speech in the usual way, Greater Lincolnshire Mayor Andrea Jenkyns – who branded herself “a bit of a rebel” – then surprisingly entered the stage in a fully sequined blue jumpsuit singing about “insomniacs”.
In a bizarre entrance, the former Tory minister – and Boris Johnson ally – belted out a song she co-wrote over 20 years ago. As she strutted in high heels, Dame Andrea repeatedly sang the line “I’m an insomniac” as she spread both her arms out to the crowd, in a strange attempt to supposedly mimic a pop star.
After she finished singing, she attempted to turn her song into an attack on Labour, saying: “We are a nation of insomniacs, as Britain is sleepwalking into disaster, but Reform is waking up the establishment. So Reformers, it’s time to unleash our inner Brit pop. It’s time to unleash the spirit of the British and get to work on saving our country.”
2. Heckler shouts ‘f*** the fascists’
On Saturday, a protester shouted “f*** the fascists” and “tax the rich” as security guards carried her out of the Reform UK party conference. The audience chanted “out out out” and booed as the protester was carried out of the conference hall. Six security guards then carried the woman out of the building as she shouted “you’re fascists and racists”.
Dozens of other demonstrators gathered outside the conference to protest against Reform’s immigration policies. There was also a delegation from the West Midlands National Education Union. Chants could be heard, including: “Say it loud, say it clear: Refugees are welcome here”.
3. Woke mindset
A teenage Reform UK council leader called sixth form a “complete joke” and said it only helps young people develop a “woke mindset”. On Saturday, George Finch, the 19-year-old leader of Warwickshire County Council, said: “The education system is broken. I’m probably one of the closest to being in school (on this panel) and being in sixth forms and universities.
“It’s a joke. It’s a complete joke. Sixth forms you’re meant to develop your learning from GCSEs – you don’t develop anything. The only thing you do develop is a woke mindset.
“You’re not allowed to question what’s going on. You’re not allowed to question the way you think. You’re just told to think a certain way. So in our politics classes, it was why I always asked – it was very simple – why so accepting? Why are we so accepting of the things that are happening?”
4. ‘Political prisoner’ appearance
Lucy Connolly who was jailed after calling for migrant hotels to be set on fire on the day of the Southport attack was treated like a hero as she appeared at Reform’s conference today.
The mum-of-one, who called herself “Keir Starmer’s political prisoner” when she was freed last month, was met with massive applause as she entered the stage for an interview for the Telegraph podcast. She spoke about her experience of jail and her hopes of helping Reform with her experience of being in prison. Deputy leader of Reform UK Richard Tice, who came on stage directly after her, hailed Connolly’s opportunity to help the “cause of free speech”.
Connolly, who is the wife of a Tory councillor, has been celebrated by far-right activists, who see her as a victim of free speech laws. Nigel Farage has previously called her “a symbol of Keir Starmer’s authoritarian, broken, two-tier Britain”. After the murder of three children at a dance class in Southport last year, Connolly, 41, posted on X: “Mass deportation now, set fire to all the f****** hotels full of the bastards for all I care… if that makes me racist so be it.” The post was viewed more than 300,000 times before it was deleted.”
A Labour source: “Lucy Connolly publicly called for buildings full of people to be burnt down, and for politicians to be taken with them, and was convicted after pleading guilty. No matter what you think of her sentencing, celebrating someone who publicly expressed these views is beyond irresponsible. It shows just why Reform aren’t fit for office.”
5. Reform merch made in China
Reform UK’s merchandise shop – selling football shirts emblazoned with Farage’s name, pens and mugs – was filled with items made in China.
It is despite Mr Farage previously speaking about the need to protect British businesses. The Chinese-made items include £15 wallets, £15 scarves and £7 gigantic teal Reform flags for supporters.
The shop’s football shirts were made in the UK and were tagged up with labels saying: “Made in Britain. Wear it with pride.” Ironically, the tags – or absence of them – only emphasised which items weren’t then made in Britain.
Nigel Farage was also offering to sign football shirts, which normally cost £40, for an increased price of £100. Conference guests formed a massive queue this afternoon to get a signature from and picture with the party leader. Mr Farage was previously accused of hypocrisy after releasing the football shirts with a modified British flag – despite slating England and Team GB for doing the same thing.
6. Jacob Rees-Mogg rules out joining Reform
Jacob Rees-Mogg has ruled out joining Reform UK – saying he will be staying a Conservative supporter. The former Conservative minister has been on defection watch amid a number of high-profile Tories ditching the party to join Nigel Farage’s right-wing outfit.
The Mirror spotted Sir Jacob milling about Reform UK’s party conference in Birmingham – ahead of him speaking on a panel later today on how Reform can succeed in office by learning lessons from Donald Trump. Asked if he was at the conference to join Reform UK, Sir Jacob told The Mirror: “No, I’m here to do a fringe meeting.”
Asked if he was ruling it out entirely, he said: “I’m remaining a Tory.” It comes after former Tory frontbencher and I’m A Celeb star Nadine Dorries was unveiled as the latest Tory to defect 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”.
Other ex-Tories who have joined Reform include Marco Longhi, Anne Marie Morris, Ross Thomson, Aiden Burley and Sir Jake Berry, a former Tory chairman. Former Tory minister and Boris Johnson ally Dame Andrea Jenkyns is also among those to defect to Reform.
7. Farage backs gold
In the main conference room, there are a number of stalls, restaurants and theatres. One unexpected stall dominating the space featured giant adverts of Nigel Farage’s face with recommendations for people to invest in gold to avoid wealth tax.
The Reform leader is paid ambassador for Direct Bullion, a precious metals dealer. The huge stand had towering adverts covered in gold coins as well as billboards hanging above it saying its firm was “recommended by Nigel Farage”.
People at the conference could scan a QR code on the adverts to watch a video of Mr Farage giving advice to people who are disappointed in the returns of their private pensions. “Well I bet no-one ever told you before that you can put gold in your pensions,” he said. What the Reform leader failed to say is that he’s been paid £280,000 in the last year for the work he does for them.
A Mirror investigation in May found Mr Farage had trousered £1million pounds from 12 different jobs since he was elected an MP last year – including his role as a TV presenter on GB News.
8. Doctor claims covid jabs was ‘factor’ in royals having cancer
A doctor speaking at the Reform UK conference quoted a claim that the Covid vaccine was a “significant factor” in members of the Royal Family having cancer.
Dr Aseem Malhotra said: “One of Britain’s most eminent oncologists, Professor Angus Dalgleish, said to me to share with you today that he thinks it’s highly likely that the Covid vaccines have been a factor, a significant factor, in the cancer of members of the Royal Family. What I’m telling you today is nobody is immune to medical misinformation because of this corrupted system.”
The King, 76, has been living with cancer since January last year, while the Princess of Wales, 43, this January announced she was in remission from cancer after being diagnosed last year. After he came off the stage, Dr Malhotra told the Mirror he was referring to the Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnosis.
He said: “42-year-old women from that socio economic background don’t get … we think it’s colon cancer, don’t know for sure, but basically, well, hint hint. He [Dalgleish] is convinced and he said please tell them that it’s highly likely – he was going stronger than that but I said temper your words a bit – that that caused her cancer.”
Independent fact-checking firm Full Fact has said there is no evidence that the Covid-19 vaccines cause cancer in people of any age. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) continually monitors the safety of all vaccines.
A Reform UK spokesman said: “Dr Aseem Malhotra is a guest speaker with his own opinions who has an advisory role in the US government. Reform UK does not endorse what he said but does believe in free speech.”
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