Reform UK considering setting up in NI…

June 18, 2025, 8:20 am81 Comments | Readers 2618

Reform UK is exploring the possibility of organising in Northern Ireland, where it has more than 1,000 members. The party told the Belfast Telegraph it was “gauging interest” in setting up branches and contesting elections here. Any such move could cause problems for the TUV, which would be competing for the same right-wing unionist vote. The two parties entered a formal partnership last March for the Westminster election, but the relationship deteriorated three months later when Nigel Farage returned as Reform leader and backed the DUP’s Ian Paisley and Sammy Wilson against TUV candidates. Reform has now contacted its members across the UK asking for their views on it organising in NI. “We are reaching out to explore the possibility of developing Reform UK’s presence in Northern Ireland,” the message said.

Just what we need…

Brian O’Neill

I help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism, I am not a member of any political party. Oddly for a member of the Slugger team, I am not that interested in daily politics, preferring to write about big ideas in society. When not stuck in front of a screen, I am a parkrun Run Director.