Reform might be backed by billionaires, but its poll lead is falling, and a survey showed it is the UK's most disliked political party

This week, new Electoral Commission figures revealed that Reform received £5.5 million between October and the end of December last year – more than any other political party. Despite Reform continuing to attract billionaire backers, it has been found to be the most disliked political party in the UK, and is plateauing in the polls. 

1. Reform found to be most unpopular UK political party

A poll carried out by think tank More in Common asked voters which parties they would be most likely to tactically vote against in order to block their candidates. It found that 38% of Brits would vote against Reform, up nine points since last November, and the highest for any party. As we saw in the Gorton and Denton by-election, the strength of anti-Reform sentiment drove turnout up and stopped Farage’s party from winning. In recent polls, Reform’s lead has been dropping. A YouGov survey this week showed its lead down by one point, while a poll by Lord Ashcroft’s polling firm indicated that it has fallen by three points.

2. ‘Serious questions’ over cryptocurrency donations

Reform received a further £3 million from Thailand-based billionaire crypto investor Christopher Harborne in the last quarter of 2025. This is on top of the record £9 million Reform received from Harborne back in August last year. Not only is Reform raking it in from billionaire investors, questions are being raised about Reform’s failure to register any cryptocurrency donations. This is despite Nigel Farage claiming on 22 October last year that his party had received “a couple” of donations in that form.

Labour chair Anna Turley MP has said she will ask the Electoral Commission to investigate the matter.

3. Reform blocks journalist from manifesto launch

In Wales, Reform UK blocked investigative journalist Will Hayward from reporting on its manifesto launch ahead of the Senedd elections yesterday. Hayward said the party refused to grant him press accreditation to attend the event. Responding on social media, he wrote: “Banning journalists is very Donald Trump.”

Reform has previously barred reporters from outlets including Byline Times, DeSmog and The Observer from its events, raising concerns about why the party appears to be dodging scrutiny. 

4. Reform’s Scottish Leader makes ‘racist’ remarks about stabbing

Over in Scotland, Reform’s Scottish leader Malcolm Offord has come under fire for making ‘racist’ remarks about a knife incident in Edinburgh. Offord admitted that he didn’t know any details about the suspect in the incident which left two people injured, but said “we can tell by the photographs” that immigration had been a factor, as the person pictured was not white. Scottish Green MSP Maggie Chapman called Offord’s remarks “racist”, “crass and dangerous”. 

5. Almost 1 in 10 Reform councillors have quit

Research by Hope Not Hate has found that since swathes of Reform councillors were elected in the local elections last May, almost one in 10 of them have quit. The anti-fascist group said: “8% of Reform’s new councillors – almost one in ten — have now quit. By our count, 67 of the party’s councillors elected last year have either defected to other parties, resigned, or been sacked.”

Just this week, two Reform councillors in West Northamptonshire, Kathryn Shaw and Joanne Blythe, quit the party less than a year after being elected to the council. Shaw said she had quit as she felt she could advocate for stronger child safeguarding systems outside of Reform. Meanwhile, Blythe said she could no longer continue under Reform’s current leadership and that there had been “misogynistic undertones” to how she had been treated.

Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward

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