There was a time when Reform UK gave real hope to the British people. A time when it looked like someone finally had the backbone to stand up to the Westminster cartel and put the hard-working people of Great Britain first. That movement ignited because it championed truth, integrity, and the will of the people — not tired party politics. But let’s be clear: Nigel Farage has betrayed everything it stood for.
After 14 catastrophic years under the Tories — the highest tax burden in 70 years, shattered infrastructure, mass immigration, and the slow erosion of British identity — the country was crying out for change. Reform UK had the message. It offered an unapologetic, patriotic alternative. And the British people responded.
But that hope has now been extinguished. What once looked like a people-powered movement has been exposed as just another top-down operation, clinging to control, silencing dissent, and hiding behind PR gloss. It’s been squandered by the very man who returned to lead it.
When Nigel Farage swooped in at the eleventh hour to “save” Reform, many were optimistic. But that hope quickly curdled into disillusionment. Under Farage’s leadership, Reform has drifted into the swamp of establishment politics — all slick spin, no substance, and zero courage.
The shameful treatment of Rupert Lowe is the clearest example yet. Journalist Dan Wootton has claimed that Nigel Farage knew that claims Rupert was suffering from dementia, alleged to have been leaked by the party, were untrue.
Whatever the truth of this, Farage stood by while Reform HQ, under the thumb of Zia Yusuf, smeared him in the most disgraceful manner. This was political assassination disguised as “due process.” There’s no integrity in that. It’s everything the public despises about the political class.
The fallout from that episode has sent shockwaves through the grassroots. Long-standing members, activists, and officers have been left reeling — not just at the smear campaign itself, but at the party’s total failure to stand by one of its own. Morale has collapsed. There is a widespread sense of betrayal, and it’s no surprise.
Meanwhile, the party has shifted its focus to control. It is reported that Reform HQ now insists all branch officers sign non-disclosure agreements — a bizarre, almost paranoid move that has no place in a democratic grassroots movement.
Reform once promised to give power back to the people. Now, it’s busy gagging its own members. Behind the scenes, a purge was underway.
Loyal grassroots members — myself included — were discarded for the crime of supporting Ben Habib, the man whose principles built the party from the ground up. I was Branch Chairman in Braintree. I gave years of service. But that counted for nothing.
Reform’s new model doesn’t reward loyalty or conviction. It rewards blind obedience. Worse still, the party’s policies have turned to mush. Gone are the bold, unflinching proposals.
In their place? Glossy videos with dramatic music, but no substance. “Britain needs Reform!” they say. But where’s the plan? The people deserve answers — not marketing gimmicks.
And on the issue that matters most — mass deportations of illegal migrants — Reform is nowhere to be found. It’s ducked a serious investigation into the grooming gang scandal. The ECHR? Now we’re hearing talk of a “possible” referendum. Where’s the backbone and conviction? Where’s the clarity?
This party is no longer about reforming the system. It’s about becoming part of it. But here’s the good news: hope is not dead.
Where Farage has faltered, the Integrity Party is rising. Set up by Ben Habib, it is stepping up to reclaim the mantle of that movement. This isn’t about ego. It’s not about media stunts.
This is about serving the British people with common-sense policies and unshakable national pride. It has also been reported that the name of the Integrity Party may change — because this movement isn’t about branding, it’s about principle.
Habib is setting the foundations, not to place himself at the top, but in the hope that a leader emerges. This is not a vanity project. It’s about restoring trust, rebuilding the country, and rallying behind someone who will truly lead for the people.
The Integrity Party will stand for a proud, sovereign, independent, and prosperous United Kingdom. No compromise. No backtracking. Just action. A real movement is forming — everything Reform should have been, and more.
The Integrity Party won’t pander. It won’t gag its members. And it certainly won’t backpedal on the promises that matter most to the public. The party is developing a bold, broad ideology — unashamedly pro-Britain, unapologetically honest. Press conferences are coming. Policies are being forged.
The torch Farage dropped is being picked up — and this time, it’s in steady, principled hands. Farage promised to destroy the Tories. Instead, he’s become a more toxic version of them.
Richard Thomson was the Reform UK candidate for Braintree in the 2024 General Election and served as a Royal Marine for eight years
