Following Reform UK’s national conference on September 6, DevComms director Jack Boyce looks at the rise of the party and where it goes now.

When Reform UK gathered at the NEC last week, the spectacle dominated the headlines: Andrea Jenkyns opened the proceedings in a glittering jumpsuit, fireworks and smoke filled the arena, and politicians walked onstage to a soundtrack more fitting for a boxing match than a party conference.

Theatrical as it was, the event was not improvised. It was a deliberate exercise in image-building and control, designed to signal that Reform has grown beyond its outsider roots and is ready to be taken seriously.

Control and competence
If the expectation was for chaos, the reality was the opposite. The programme was tightly choreographed, carefully polished, and firmly on message. There were celebrity presenters, from Jeremy Kyle to Reform chairman Dr David Bull, and the high-profile defection of Nadine Dorries. But there were no major missteps, no public rifts, and no moments of collapse.

This was significant. Reform has long been portrayed as chaotic, even amateurish. The NEC event was an intentional rebuttal of that narrative. Theatrical flourishes aside, the member contributions and speeches were measured and, in some cases, surprisingly moderate compared to other party gatherings. The message was clear: Reform wants to project discipline and control.

Progress through momentum
The conference was less about policy substance and more about momentum, organisation, and optics. Reform’s membership has grown from roughly 70,000 to 240,000, while the number of councillors has risen by more than 850 since the party last gathered in Birmingham. The leadership also claimed that 9,000 prospective candidates are already in the pipeline.

The stage design, football kit branding, and co-ordinated messaging reinforced the idea of Reform as a movement with a collective identity rather than a personality-driven vehicle. Nigel Farage may still dominate the narrative, but the conference sought to show that Reform has expanded beyond being ‘Farage’s followers’.

Policy detail was scarce. Entire sectors, including housing and planning, were left unaddressed, surfacing only in fringe sessions and podcasts – for our industry this included a very brief mention of zoning, but nothing much else. Instead, the focus was on building the organisation, recruiting new members, and preparing for electoral battles. In that sense, Reform is in ‘winning mode’ rather than ‘governing mode’. That may be a rational choice in a volatile political climate where, as Farage has suggested, a General Election could come as early as 2027.

Internal challenges
The conference also highlighted a tension within Reform’s ranks. Conversations with councillors revealed two distinct camps. One group is energised by Reform’s disruptive identity and the chance to upend the status quo. The other views itself as largely apolitical, focused on delivering for local communities without being bound by rigid ideological lines.

This divide poses questions for Reform’s future. As national positions solidify, will local representatives fall in line, or will they resist directives from the centre? A party built on both movement energy and pragmatic localism may struggle to maintain coherence as it scales. Managing these differences will be critical if Reform is to mature into a sustainable political force.

What Comes Next
In the short term, Reform’s NEC conference succeeded on its own terms: it projected competence, showcased momentum, and reinforced its identity as a growing movement. The fireworks and spectacle captured attention, but the more important takeaway was the professionalism behind the staging.

The challenge ahead is to convert momentum into substance. Electoral success requires more than theatrical presentation – it requires coherent policy, internal discipline, and the ability to reassure voters that a protest movement can credibly govern. Reform has shown it can master the spectacle. The harder test will be proving it can master the detail.

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