There was great excitement at the end of last year when it was reported that Reform UK was considering launching its own youth wing. For generations, pimple-faced politicos have offered a rich seam of stories for the press. Whether it is drunken Tory boys at Port and Policy night or NUS apparatchiks decrying Israel, the student politicians of today are all too often the Fleet Street headlines of tomorrow.
But it is perhaps the thought of its Zoomer enthusiasts ending up splashed on the front of the Mirror that is encouraging some within Reform to think again about an autonomous youth wing. Mr S has heard rumblings for weeks that the mood in Millbank Tower is hardening against launching an independent elected body along the lines of the traditional Young Conservatives or Young Labour.
And today, speaking to Steerpike shortly after his speech in Durham, Nigel Farage confirmed that there remains a healthy difference of opinion within Reform UK about the merits of a youth wing. He told Mr S that there were:
Strong disagreements as to whether we should do it formally or informally. I, for the minute, think we should keep it slightly at arm’s length, because I think as soon as you have a youth conference and they all get drunk, and God knows what happens, suddenly it looks terrible. I’m a bit cautious.
Given some of the headlines sparked by Young Independence – the onetime Ukip youth wing – perhaps having second thoughts is no bad thing…
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