Arguing for the dissolution of a political society on campus is a dangerous road to walk. It feels inherently undemocratic to claim a significant political party does not have the right to meet under the constitution of a Students’ Union. It would be naive to assume we could agree as a nation on what is politically right and wrong. The British people have a right to express their political beliefs and involve themselves in political organisation - right up until the organisation displays issues so extreme and deep that they are institutional. In the case of ReformUK, many would argue that they have already taken that step.
Over the summer, prior to the general election held on the 4th of July, multiple ReformUK candidates dropped out of the party as they considered it institutionally corrupt. Liam Booth-Isherwood put his support behind the Tories after pulling out from running for the Erewash seat. His statement following the event claimed that he had “become increasingly disillusioned with Reform” and “reports of widespread racism and sexism” made him concerned about the morals of the party. Shortly after, a second candidate, Georgie David, also defected. She too cited racism, misogyny and bigotry as her reasons for no longer wishing to be associated with the party.
The issues did not stop there. More recently, multiple members of Reform have left the party over disagreements regarding Tommy Robinson, a far-right activist currently jailed for contempt of court. Reform’s London mayoral candidate Howard Cox, alongside a number of their Derbyshire councillors, are among those who have distanced themselves from the party due to having even more extreme views than they feel are accepted in Reform. While it’s something that could attest to their credibility, it does further highlight the corruption which has been allowed within their ranks. Alongside those who quit voluntarily, others have been forced to leave the party as their corrupt views have come to light, such as their former leader in Scotland who was suspended after a Facebook group she administered was revealed to contain racist posts.
These issues, instead of being tackled head-on as would be appropriate, have been largely dismissed by Reform’s leadership. Richard Tice, the deputy leader of the party, commented that Isherwood and David’s defections were a result of “desperate corruption” and “dark forces at play” by the Conservative party.
Even if you take Farage and Tice at their word, a thing to be done with caution, Reform UK is not operating in a vacuum. The far-right have been creeping their way to the centre of the global stage for a while, but now it appears they have cemented themselves there. There is an irony in the fact that upholding democracy lets undemocratic parties thrive. And let’s be candid about this, these parties are undemocratic. At the very least anyone with a history GCSE should have all the necessary information to see that this is, in another rotation of the never-ending cycle, the past repeating itself.
Democracy is being compromised across the world as we speak. There have been attempts, which while doomed to fail remain disturbing, to change the US Constitution in order to allow US president Donald Trump to take a third term. Elon Musk, who gave a quarter billion dollars towards Trump’s presidential campaign, is a very vocal supporter of populist right wing campaigns across the western world. Recently, he stood up in front of an American flag and did what was, to anyone who bothered to lift their head from licking his boots for one moment, a Nazi salute. It’s hard not to interpret that as an outright endorsement of fascism. His interest is not limited to American politics: he recently posted on his social media platform, X: From MAGA to MEGA: Make Europe Great Again.
The UK is not free from Musk’s obsessive scrutiny, he has been continually critical of the Labour government since they came to power. Seemingly, there is no place and no issue that he doesn’t think he should weigh in on. Recently he claimed the UK government’s safeguarding officer, Jess Philips, should be jailed over a failure to tackle grooming gangs in the UK. An extreme reaction regardless, however, the information he based his accusations on was largely inaccurate. A public association with such a volatile and dangerous public figure, who has been accused of election interference by multiple European countries, should give democracy reason to fear.
It could be argued Reform UK no longer has such an association, after the sizable donation once promised to them by Musk has fallen into question due to Farage’s condemnation of Tommy Robinson. I must admit, it’s a reassuring line for Reform to have drawn, however, Farage and Tice’s continual defence of Musk doesn’t fill me with the same confidence.
For a party that supposedly champions free speech, they seem to have very little tolerance for anyone who wishes to speak against them. A journalist, with known anti-Brexit views, was barred from a public event Farage spoke at just prior to the 4th of July election, to the point of being physically removed from the building. Their hypocrisy is startling. With the backdrop of fascism becoming ever more of a threat, and Reform UK’s concerning history with hate speech, it is certainly not unprecedented to question their inclusion within a student’s union.
