Reform UK Faces Growing Scrutiny Amid Rapid Expansion and Political Challenges
Reform UK has experienced rapid growth in 2025, but this expansion has revealed shallow roots and increased scrutiny regarding the party's preparedness for governing responsibilities. The party's deputy leader, Richard Tice, recently apologized for a previous claim suggesting that families were abusing the SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) system, an acknowledgment of internal tensions as the policy rolls out across approximately ten English councils.
One controversial policy under Reform UK is the Send policy, which proposes repurposing empty churches as weekday schools to reduce SEND transport costs. This initiative has raised concerns about the adequacy of schooling for vulnerable children.
Polls indicate that Reform UK's support base mainly consists of former Conservative voters, with the party's backing swelling to over a quarter of the electorate. However, this increase exposes the party to vulnerabilities at a larger scale.
The party faces additional scrutiny due to past scandals involving Nigel Farage, including alleged racist and antisemitic remarks from his school years, which Farage denies, and the Nathan Gill bribery case. Concurrently, the government has commissioned a long-overdue inquiry into foreign interference in British elections, signaling heightened accountability measures regarding national security.
Rising concerns over defence and foreign policy further complicate the political landscape. There are discussions about NATO potentially being engaged in war within five years, warnings from MI6 about a nation suspended between war and peace, and an impending defence spending review, all of which influence Labour's political strategies.
