Nigel Farage gave a “100% promise” to rid Reform UK of “bad apples”, as multiple protesters disrupted an event designed to celebrate the party’s election gains.
The Reform UK leader faced a barrage of heckles from protesters in the audience as he tried to start a speech in central London to mark what the party described as a “political earthquake”.
He suggested one of the protesters had had a “bigger lunch than I have”, and that another was at risk of having a stroke before questioning if they were actors – a nod to a Reform canvasser filmed using a racial slur to describe now former prime minister Rishi Sunak.
Mr Farage told his party’s supporters: “This is good preparation for the House of Commons I suppose, isn’t it? It’s going to be very lively in there.”
When Mr Farage asked: “Any more for any more?” there was a long pause before a man shouted: “Actually yes.”
Mr Farage added: “We haven’t organised this very well, have we?”
The chaotic scenes took place at an event where Mr Farage, the new MP for Clacton, was joined by his fellow parliamentarians after Reform secured four seats in the Commons.
Proportional representation
Lee Anderson defended Ashfield while party chairman Richard Tice secured Boston and Skegness and former Southampton FC chairman Rupert Lowe won Great Yarmouth – both at the expense of the Tories.
Mr Farage said: “We bite our nails,” as they await a recount in Basildon South & East Thurrock in the hope they would secure a fifth seat.
He said proportional representation in the voting system would have meant Reform “looking at nearly 100 seats”, adding the “outdated” first-past-the-post electoral system is “not fit for purpose”.
After claiming the General Election showed there was “absolutely no enthusiasm” for Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour, Mr Farage reiterated his party’s ambitions to act as the opposition to the new Government.
“We are going to be the opposition around the country”
Mr Farage said: “We are going to be the opposition around the country.”
He added: “Above all what we’re going to do from today is we’re going to professionalise the party, we’re going to democratise the party, and those few bad apples that have crept in will be gone, will be long gone, and we will never have any of their type back in our organisation.
“You have a 100% promise on that.”
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