Question marks remain over Reform and its ability to govern – but one thing they have really nailed is the art of the political scandal. Despite riding high in the polls for the past year, the right-leaning party has lurched towards another PR disaster – and they’ve been accused of ‘copying’ the BNP.
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Reform Granny Letter – what’s actually happened?
This week, scores of voters in the Gorton and Denton constituency were sent a hand-written letter by a so-called ‘concerned resident’. Patricia Clegg, aged 74, said she was happy to help support Reform with this part of their campaign. But there was a major flaw in the distribution process.
Clegg had penned her letter from the perspective of a ‘concerned neighbour’, and discussed why voting for Reform would be the best option for her and the community. However, as copies made their way through letterboxes, something important was missing – Reform’s branding.
Their failure to declare that the letter was produced and distributed by the party is a criminal offence, as per the UK’s electoral law. Greater Manchester Police have since confirmed that they are investigating the matter, ahead of an upcoming by-election in the region.
Former BNP strategist says Reform ‘copied their work’
In their right of reply, Reform have denied intentionally misleading voters. A spokesperson for the organisation told The Guardian that ‘there had been an error in the printing process’, and that the legal imprint of their logo was ‘inadvertently removed’ by the printing company.
Yet some are still keen to point out where the ‘Granny Letter’ tactic came from. Eddy Butler, once a policy supremo for the BNP, claims that this was used by his far-right party more than 20 years ago – and even went as far as to call it ‘the most effective propaganda piece’ in their toolbox.
It’s worth noting that Reform also legally employed this tactic during the Caerphilly by-election in October 2025, using the perspective of local pensioner Andrew Russell. However, on this occasion, Reform did include their name – even if it was right at the bottom of the second page.
‘They know what they’re doing’
One of the more vocal criticisms of letter-gate is Don McGowan. The political commentator has rejected Reform’s defence, calling them ‘underhand’ and ‘duplicitous’. Whatever the intention, Nigel Farage and his colleagues now have to deal with another storm brewing on the horizon.
“That Matt Goodwin and Reform have left this out shows how underhand they are. Employing BNP tactics, but worse, even more duplicitously. Reform always know what they are doing and are extreme proponents of the theory; ‘it’s easier to ask forgiveness than to get permission.” | Don McGowan