Reform. 140,748 members and counting. The Tories are well and truly in trouble!

I don't understand Allira's figures:
Reform UK141,750
Conservatives132,000

But Conservatives had 6.8 million votes & Reform had 4.2 million votes. Maybe Allira's figures were for something else & I misread your post.

I was saddened to hear that Keir Starmer’s brother died on Boxing Day aged just 60 years. For some reason, this news makes the spat between Farage and Badenoch appear very inconsequential! I am beginning to hope that neither Farage nor Badenoch will lead their parties into the next election.

You have to look at the marginality Visgirl. There were only 9 seats at the election where a swing of 5% or less would give the seat to Reform instead of Labour. At the other end of the scale were seats where Reform were second, but a swing of over 50% would be required. With 98 seats in total where Reform were second to either major party, in reality they have a huge mountain to climb.

Bixiboo

It’s interesting the number of young people who Farage said are joining Reform. I wonder if it’s because they are disillusioned with Labour and Conservatives.

Weimar Rebublic plus Racism plus Social Media.

Kemi Badenoch is 44 years old but I find her presentation often seems like that of a much younger woman. She shouts and blusters and reacts, rather than responds.
Picking an unnecessary fight with Farage doesn’t seem the act of a confident mature party leader.

Bixiboo

It’s interesting the number of young people who Farage said are joining Reform. I wonder if it’s because they are disillusioned with Labour and Conservatives.

I have seen it said that Reform makes good use of TikTok, which is favoured by younger people.

It's a company, not a political party. There is momentum atm, but will it still be going in years?
However I think Labour needs to be more wary than the Tories, as Reform came second to Labour in several seats.

It’s interesting the number of young people who Farage said are joining Reform. I wonder if it’s because they are disillusioned with Labour and Conservatives.

Earlier this week GB News was running the story of Reform needing another 4,000 (or suchlike) to overtake the Tories in membership numbers. Obviously the encouragement has worked. The increase is not without manipulation IMO.

No. They keep saying they will change.
They have started charging under 25s a tenner.
Apparently lots of people are filling in the incorrect year of birth to get this "deal".

He did say that FriedGreenTomatoes2. As it stands now though, it’s still a limited company. I presume on that basis that Kemi Badenoch has the moral high ground in challenging him.

In September 2024, Farage said that he will be surrendering all of his shares in Reform UK. This means members will have more control over the party, such as being able to vote on a constitution and motions, and can remove Farage as leader if over 50% of members write to Reform UK chairman Zia Yusuf.[94]

Source: Wikipedia

Isn’t Reform going through the process of changing into a proper political party? I imagine most folk who have donated £25 want to be a member for a reason.

Casdon

As Reform is still a limited company, people who join are not actually members of a political party in the same way that they are if they become members of other parties. The £25 a year ‘membership’ is more like a charity donation, because there are currently no membership rights, you can’t vote, so have no influence on what the company does. I think actually that Kemi Badenoch has a point.

So t shouldn't be included in that list at all as it's not a political party.

As Reform is still a limited company, people who join are not actually members of a political party in the same way that they are if they become members of other parties. The £25 a year ‘membership’ is more like a charity donation, because there are currently no membership rights, you can’t vote, so have no influence on what the company does. I think actually that Kemi Badenoch has a point.

That old saying sticks and stones is nonsense really.. words are very powerful

She could indeed start a fight in an empty room I quite like that in a person but I think she will have to learn to not be as reactive).

Thank you FGT. It did really matter/does really matter for me.

Apologies Wyllow for triggering you.
‘Silly girl’ was my shorthand way of saying ‘poor judgement by an inexperienced politician who ought to have known better’.

KB could start a fight in a paper bag. She cannot resist responding to something she'd be much better off ignoring. Farage will respond as he likes the oxygen of free publicity so will twist it to his benefit.
Both of them are loathsome creatures who want are desperate to be PM and are best ignored

The next election isn’t for nearly five years. Who knows what will happen in that time. Reform has five MPs, one of whom is always away cosying up to Musk and trump. I wish Tory supporters didn’t have such short memories.

Too many shoulds

I agree she should should have ignored it. Membership does not equal success however as Corbyn found out.

NotSpaghetti

I agree. She shouldn't have commented.

Yes I agree. Very poor political judgement.

But FGT, although of course we talk about "nights out with the girls" and so on,

it really did pull me up when you said "silly girl" - professionally women have fought in the past so hard to be taken seriously, not infantilised and categorised as immature because they (we!) are female. (no, I'm not being OTT PC, its because of my own life events, one particularly so)

Will be interesting to watch. Neither of them seem the type back down from an argument.