At last year’s Reform party conference, leader Nigel Farage said he was learning lots of useful lessons from the Liberal Democrats.
That might seem unlikely – the two parties are at odds on pretty much everything, most obviously on whether the UK should be in the European Union.
But one thing the Lib Dems do incredibly well is local politics. The party views councillors around the country as its front line, and pours lots of effort into tackling community issues.
Whether they’re successful or not might depend where you live, but as an approach, it makes sense. No matter how the party’s MP count may go up and down (and it certainly does that), there’s always that representation at the base level. In other words, it’s bedded in.
Before yesterday’s elections, all the Reform councillors in the UK could fit in a couple of train carriages. There’s no doubt there will be plenty more by the end of the day.
Farage made sure he had a candidate in as many local election races as possible. In the end, 99.3% of contests had someone standing for Reform – more than any other party, including the Conservatives and Labour.
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It looks like his tactic is paying off. At the party’s first proper local election test, it may leap directly into majority positions on several councils.
Once they’re in power, though, the challenges begin. A party that only found its current name a little over four years ago will need to figure out what it stands for at a local level.
When I went along to Reform’s local elections launch a month ago, it seemed Farage’s answer to that question was ‘saving money and fixing potholes’.
Isn’t that… what all parties promise to do in local elections campaigns?
There were some extra Reform-y bits about scrapping diversity schemes and net zero policies.
Much of the offering, though, seemed to just be fiery opposition to the Tory and Labour status quo. That is a message that deeply resonates with the British general public in 2025.
So, what are Reform’s chances of bedding in and becoming a permanent part of the UK political ecosystem like the Liberal Democrats?
It’s tempting to think the party would crumble to dust without Nigel Farage at the helm. After all, we can credit the sheer force of Farage’s personality with pulling Reform into the mainstream at last year’s general election.
However, some recent polls of the party’s voters are eye-opening.
As you might expect, they tend to sit on the right of the political spectrum when it comes to topics like immigration and justice.
But they’re also more likely than the average Brit to favour nationalising water, energy and the National Grid. Campaign group the Sortition Foundation found Reform supporters are more likely to say getting rid of the House of Lords would increase their trust in politics.
Those voters may feel like they’ve finally found their home in Reform. And as the UK’s political landscape continues to splinter, it may be tricky to win them back – and Farage’s party could indeed be here for good.
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