It can be difficult for challenger parties to make much of an impact on the Budget, with parliament designed to emphasise the role of government and opposition. But Reform UK is determined to make a splash this week and reflect the dominant polling position that the party has enjoyed since April. Senior figures have earmarked a total of £1 million to be spent in the run-up and aftermath of Rachel Reeves’ Budget, to drive home the party’s position on tax and the wider economy.
Tomorrow, the bulk of the outlay will be evident in the nation’s press. Double page spread adverts will run in the Telegraph, Times, Sun, Mail, Metro and iNews, featuring a ‘letter to the nation’ signed by Nigel Farage. In keeping with Reform’s approach of ‘something old, something new’, the adverts in the traditional press will be accompanied by online content too. The cost of these adverts is a tidy £700,000 – which insiders tout as proof of the party’s growth in the past twelve months.
In the final quarter of 2024, Reform raised just £280,000 in large donations – a figure beaten by the moribund Communist Party. Now, regular Monday meetings with donors and a charm offensive by the likes of Farage and his deputy, Richard Tice, have seen the party significantly up its fundraising efforts in recent months. Aides note the emphasis which Kemi Badenoch’s team have put on donations and believe Reform will soon start challenging the Tories for dominance in this area.
The newspaper foray follows a series of events designed to bolster Reform’s credibility on the economy. At the beginning of the month, Farage set out his thinking at a major press conference at Banking Hall in the City of Hall. This was then followed by the launch of ‘Small Business for Reform’ and speeches by Tice and Zia Yusuf at Bloomberg and the CBI, respectively. After today’s event at the Old War Office and £100,000 on digital adverts, some £1 million has now been spent on Budget-related events – a pricey sum for a start-up party.
Insiders, though, believe it is money well spent. One points to an Opinium poll at the beginning of the month which showed Farage was now the most trusted leader on the economy with 34 per cent, compared to Badenoch on 29 per cent and Keir Starmer on 24 per cent. Given the Tories’ traditional strength in this area, Reform hope that a vocal demonstration of their credentials will convince both the business community and the public that it is the better bet for sensible fiscal policies.
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