Reform UK party conference: Why our team will be there

As my colleague Phil Briscoe said in his blog this week, conference season is open and Reform UK kicks things off in Birmingham on Friday.  

The spotlight is firmly on how the party will set out its stall to appear credible and serious, in keeping with their positioning in Westminster as the “main opposition” party.  

Much ink was spent over the summer explaining how corporates are opting for a cautious approach, sending advisers or trade bodies rather than senior executives. Indeed, our team will be attending in person to assess firsthand the implications of Reform’s platform for organisations we advise. 

This isn’t just about observing political theatre. It’s about understanding how a party polling strongly and gaining traction across local councils – and the Devolved Parliaments - could influence the regulatory and economic environment now and all the way up to the next election. 

Assessing atmospherics  

Reform UK has made a concerted effort to engage businesses this year, to shift the tone from fringe activism to mainstream political force. The conference brochure sets out how Reform sees itself as “professional, disciplined and determined”. 

Brands like JCB, Heathrow, and TikTok will be present. The latter an obvious attendee, considering the Party’s Leader Nigel Farage claimed a few months ago he had amassed more TikTok followers than all 649 other MPs combined. (More on Reform’s use of Digital in my colleague Ian Silvera’s blog.) 

With speculation of up to 12,000 attendees at the conference this week, and organisation that only saw the agenda published two days before, we will be there to observe and check for the warning signals of actions, campaigns and direction in the months ahead.  

This year is understood to be the “wait and see” conference, understandable for a ‘start-up party’. But interest will significantly rise in the second year once the party’s credibility is more established, making this year particularly useful for more informal and perhaps less guarded discussions. 

Our team already has strong links to Reform councillors, MPs, and the party press and policy teams, but will look to engage further and more directly with representatives, many of whom now oversee local budgets and infrastructure decisions.  

Assessing policy priorities  

Existing policy announcements from Reform UK offer a mix of populist appeal and potentially disruptive economic reform but the 2024 Manifesto is no longer the most up to date place to find out what Reform will actually mean for you. So, we will be trawling the Fringes alongside the Main Hall to understand these dynamics better.  

We will be paying close attention to the following:  

1. Tax and Spending 

Reform proposes a raft of tax and spending reforms including a total of £90 billion annually in tax cuts. While this is not universally considered feasible, the party’s approach to tax and spending will become increasingly important to understand, particularly given its existing local powers and predicted gains in the forthcoming Welsh elections.  

2. Energy and Net Zero 

The party plans to abandon existing carbon emission targets and scrap £10 billion in annual green energy subsidies. This “vibe shift” associated with Trump that led to a pivot away from net zero could impact not just those in renewables, utilities, and ESG-sensitive sectors but a range of adjacent industries and the supply chain.  

3. Planning and Infrastructure 

Reform aims to fast-track brownfield development and overhaul planning rules, particularly in the North and coastal areas. The party also proposes a new ownership model for critical national infrastructure. 

This could impact construction, housing, transport and development. But with details remaining sparse, and potential for national versus local tensions, this part of their agenda needs to be better understood.  

4. Digital, Financial Services and Regulation 

While not yet formalised, there’s growing interest in Reform’s stance on digital regulation and financial and professional services, including cryptocurrency and e-commerce.  

An online delivery tax has been floated to level the playing field for high street retailers but generally they will resist further digital regulation. This could impact sectors quite significantly, notably media, tech, and creative sectors which have been battling to protect creators’ rights in the context of generative AI.  

Reform’s support for cryptocurrencies (it was the first UK party to accept Bitcoin donations and has proposed creating a government reserve of digital currencies) has been noted but the gaping absence of a broader opinion on a regulatory framework for financial services is creating nervousness. 

Debrief 

Reform UK’s conference may not yet rival the scale or polish of Labour or Conservative gatherings, but its growing influence demands attention. For organisations in regulated industries, infrastructure, and local services, or those interacting routinely with local or devolved Authorities, the party’s trajectory could shape the next few years of policy and investment.  

Our team will be attending the Reform UK Conference - alongside Labour and Conservative Party Conferences to assess firsthand the implications of Reform’s platform for the organisations we advise, and we’ll be sharing further insights post conference through briefing sessions that analyse what we’ve witnessed, and what it could mean for you.

For any questions, or to book in a debrief, contact reform@secnewgate.co.uk