Nigel Farage hails 'most joyous gathering' in modern politics at Reform conference

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage yesterday told cheering activists that his decision to “give up the good life” and “come out of semi-retirement” was “worth it”.

He wrapped up the party’s conference in Birmingham by telling the audience this was the “most joyous gathering of a political party” that has “ever happened in this country in modern history”.

Reform won five MPs and more than four million votes in the July election, and it now plans to hold events in Wales, Scotland and the English regions as prepares for future election battles.

Mr Farage mocked the new PM, saying: “Look at what we’re up against. I didn’t agree with Blair but at least he said things can only get better – Starmer says things can only get worse.”

He derided the Conservatives as “a variety of misfits who are split down the middle and stand now for precisely nothing”.

In contrast, he said, the Reform audience consisted of “real people” who “however tough things are, laugh, smile, sing, dance, have a drink, have fun”.

Describing how they had convinced him he made the right choice to re-enter full-time politics, he said: “That momentous decision to give up the good life, to come out of semi-retirement, to throw myself back into the front lines, to take all the abuse that has and will be heaped upon me, what you’ve made me realise is that it was all worth it.”