Reform UK is doing its best to expand beyond its largely older, loyal base. And with a rapidly growing presence on TikTok, the right-wingers’ efforts seem to be working. Are you worried about the party’s rise?
Are you worried about the rise of Reform UK?
Since Nigel Farage made his surprise return to frontline politics in the summer, he’s been ramping up his anti-establishment rhetoric even further – and it’s going down a storm with younger voters.
Reform UK has been keen to engage with a more youthful audience on TikTok, and their efforts are paying off handsomely, already racking up north of 300,000 followers – more than any other major political party on the platform, with Labour on 233,500 and the Tories on just 84,700.
Founded in 2021 as the re-launch of the Brexit Party, with Farage taking the helm in June this year, Reform now has five MPs in Parliament, rubbing elbows with the very establishment it constantly rails against.
And the right-wingers have been busy trying to break free of being just the ‘Nigel Farage show’ and expand its supporter base – something it appears to be excelling at.
So, how’s Reform UK managing to tap into younger voters when the median age of its MPs is 60? The answer, in part, lies in platforms such as TikTok, where Gen-Z spend a lot of their time.
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And it’s not just the party’s official TikTok that’s doing well. Farage himself boasts more than a million followers on the platform – something he was quick to point out at a recent press conference.
However, most of Reform’s supporters are still older white men. According to YouGov’s post-election analysis, the party was the third most popular with men aged 50-64, just one point behind the Tories.
That said, there are signs that younger voters are starting to show up. Among 18-24-year-olds, Reform UK was the third most popular choice, right alongside the Green Party. However, for Gen-Z women, it wasn’t quite the same story. They showed little love for Reform, ranking it as the least popular option, alongside the Tories. Interestingly, it was among 16-17-year-olds that the gender gap was most pronounced.
What’s especially surprising is that, according to a JL Partners poll, Reform UK was just as popular as Labour among young men aged 16-17. But for young women in the same age group, Reform was way behind, with Labour and the Greens leading the pack.
Reform UK appear to be catching the Tories in terms of membership, boasting more than 100,000 in its ranks as of November 2024. This puts them behind the Conservatives on 131,680 and way behind Labour on 366,604.
Farage’s party might just be onto something with its Gen-Z outreach. It’s a work in progress, but the party does seem to be slowly finding its footing with a younger crowd – does this worry you?
What do YOU think? Are you worried about the rise of Reform? Take our poll above and expand on your feelings in the comments below.
