Reform UK has extra members than Tories, Nigel Farage says

Reform UK now has extra members than the Conservative Occasion, its chief Nigel Farage has stated.

A digital tracker on Reform’s web site reveals its membership numbers have overtaken the 131,680 determine declared by the Conservatives earlier this 12 months.

Nigel Farage thanked those that helped his get together “make historical past” and stated Reform is now the “actual opposition”.

A Conservative get together spokesperson stated Reform UK had helped to ship a Labour authorities.

Reacting to the rising tally on X, Farage stated: “The youngest political get together in British politics has simply overtaken the oldest political get together on this planet.”

Occasion chairman Zia Yusuf stated Reform had damaged the “centuries-long stranglehold on the centre-right of British politics by the Tories”.

Earlier this 12 months, the Conservative Occasion stated it had 131,680 members eligible to vote throughout its management contest to switch Rishi Sunak.

It was the bottom recorded membership for the get together and a substantial drop from the 2022 management contest, when it boasted round 172,000 members.

A Conservative spokesman stated Reform had “delivered a Labour authorities that has cruelly minimize winter gas winter funds for 10 million pensioners, put the way forward for household farming and meals safety in danger, and launched a devastating raid on jobs which can go away working individuals paying the value.

“A vote for Reform this coming Could is a vote for a Labour council – solely the Conservatives can cease this”, he added.

A Labour spokesperson stated that whereas the Conservatives and Reform “decide fights… this authorities is getting on with delivering the change the British individuals voted for”.

Membership numbers to all important political events fell final 12 months regardless of gearing up for this summer season’s Normal Election.

Though it nonetheless has essentially the most members of any UK get together, Labour noticed its numbers dip beneath 400,000 for the primary time since 2015.

Evaluating get together membership numbers might be “tough”, in line with a analysis briefing printed by the Home of Commons Library, as there isn’t any uniform definition of membership or technique to monitor it.

The director of suppose tank Extra in Widespread, Luke Tryl, advised the PA information company that the metric is “opaque and murky”.

He stated Reform UK have “momentum”, however indicated that it isn’t assured whether or not its membership converts to campaigners.