'Reform UK is the only party in tune with the majority of the country's deep concerns,' says Howard Cox
Howard Cox says he is hopeful for the future of Reform UK
PA
Labour did not need to be creative, clever or innovative to win the General Election. No! They were gifted their vast majority on a silver platter.
They had to keep their mouths shut and deviously hide the party’s hidden punitive policies to be released on an already profoundly crestfallen electorate, starting with the October Budget.
Over 14 years, the Conservative Party in Government became increasingly arrogant and let down in its privileged position on issues it was empowered to solve. This lengthy period of power only serves to underline the extent of their betrayal.
As someone who has voted Conservative for 50 years, I am more than disheartened with the Conservative Party's performance since 2010. I was seething with anger and demotivated, and as a proud Thatcherite, I know I am part of a grass-roots community that shares these sentiments.
The core reason Rishi Sunak’s leadership was scorned is easy to explain, despite their denial of why they were smashed at the ballot box. The Tory Party is no longer the big ‘C’ Conservative Party we traditionally expect them to be.
There is no Conservative Party anymore; it has that proud political name in name only.
In fact, in the last years of their self-inflicted rapid demise, there were little differences in policy from the Labour Party’s pronouncements.
Reform UK won five seats in the 2024 General Election
PA
Reform UK’s Deputy Leader Richard Tice frequently described the Tories as ConSocialists, which perfectly described the development of the dishonest, dare I say it, the uniparty that was Governing us for the last few years.
So, millions of true Conservatives were left politically homeless in the lead-up to the 2024 Election.
The centre-right of politics had now become a politically empty chasm, begging to be filled by a proud-to-be British Party that would push for much smaller state control, decisive protection of our borders, solid military defences, tough policing on crime, and lower taxes. Reform UK is now the Party to fill that void!
In the recent General Election, Reform UK achieved the third-highest vote share at 14.3 per cent, with over four million votes, which won them five seats. It also came second in 98 seats.
I stood in Dover and Deal for Reform, pushing the Tory into third place. Labour won there because the candidate had been campaigning for over two years, whereas I had just four weeks to move my manifesto.
Sunak’s naïve early election call was to destabilise Reform’s campaign. Had I had another few weeks, independent opinion suggests I could now be sitting on the green benches.
The Party's membership and media exposure continue to grow, a promising sign for the future.
The question lingers is, can Nigel Farage’s insurgent Party become the official opposition to Labour? In my view, the answer is a resounding yes! I am hopeful for the future of Reform UK.
The majority of the country is profoundly uneasy about this new Government’s first few months in power. And it seems Reform UK is the only Party in tune with their deep concerns.
To get over 100 MPs elected at the next General Election, Nigel's troops are evolving rapidly by setting up a local branch network across the UK. It is democratising, too, because of the criticism it is controlled as a Limited Company. The new Chairman, Zia Yusaf, has hit the ground running and will launch the Party’s new Constitution at their conference in a few weeks.
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With all the welcome changes about to be announced, Reform UK's popularity seems secure and growing.
Undoubtedly, Reform UK is a genuine political choice that is grinding down the Conservative Party’s chances of ever ruling again.
Had Proportional Representation been in place, the four million who voted for Nigel’s Party would have had many more Reform UK MPs elected.
Many people who voted for Reform are unfairly and undemocratically not getting the political representation they truly deserve. Their futures are being railroaded by an administration not elected by nearly two-thirds of the country.
It is not a question of whether Reform will one day be in Government; it is simply a question of when it will happen. Next year’s Council elections will be the Litmus test for how far Reform UK has come.
Unless the next Tory Leader recognises that Centre Right policies are the most popular, in the words of former Deputy Leader of Reform UK Ben Habib, the Conservative Party will be obliterated.
As for my role in the Country’s political and social future, through FairFuel UK, I will continue to fight for drivers and, along with Reform UK, prove that Labour’s anti-driver policies will be economically suicidal.