'I don't like this Musk chap': Reform members say they're unbothered by spat

Even by the standards of the Reform UK party, it has been an absorbing fewer weeks.

In December, its person Nigel Farage flew to Florida to conscionable Elon Musk, the multi-billionaire, wherever they discussed a imaginable donation.

On Boxing Day, it announced its rank figures had surpassed those of the Conservatives. There was past a spat with Conservative person Kemi Badenoch implicit whether those numbers were correct.

Last Sunday successful a station connected his societal media tract X, Musk unexpectedly appeared to retreat support from Farage saying helium "doesn't person what it takes" to pb the party.

And connected Friday, 10 Reform UK councillors successful Derbyshire resigned from the party, successful protestation astatine Farage's leadership.

Reform UK members gathering connected an icily acold Friday evening astatine Sandown Racecourse for the party's South East league weren't disheartened by the imaginable nonaccomplishment of a affluent and influential backer.

"I don't similar this Musk chap," says Gloria Jane Martin.

She worked successful compartment unit for British Airways until she reached the constituent wherever "I ne'er wanted to conscionable passengers again" and started investing successful spot and campaigning successful authorities instead.

"He [Musk] has been dangling the money. I'm disquieted determination would beryllium strings attached, that helium would request immoderate policies.

"I deliberation Reform got distant lightly... Nigel has handled it diplomatically. I don't deliberation helium tin spend to person Musk excessively close.

"He is destructive, helium could destruct Reform."

There are astir 850 attendees astatine Sandown, according to the organisers, who accidental it was a sold retired event.

Among them is Howard Ward from Winchester, who has switched to Reform from the Conservatives.

Like galore present helium is not bothered astir Musk. "Let him speech away," helium says.

Kevin Burrell doesn't deliberation Musk is "being serious" and adjacent if helium is, it doesn't matter. "We've got Candy... helium is going to bash wonders."

Nick Candy is the party's caller treasurer. He is simply a spot tycoon, the hubby of erstwhile popular vocalist Holly Valance and until precocious was a donor to the Tories.

Beverley Newman is present with her spouse Eve Wilkinson. She agrees that Candy volition beryllium important but adds that the enactment tin rise a batch from the membership.

"Musk won't marque immoderate quality to his [Farage's] popularity," says Kirshanda from West Sussex. "I thought helium handled that beautifully. He wasn't prepared to bend."

Musk hasn't explained his reasoning, but Farage said the brace had a disagreement due to the fact that Musk wanted Reform to "come retired powerfully successful support" of Tommy Robinson.

Robinson, whose existent sanction is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, is presently serving an 18-month situation condemnation for contempt of court.

The erstwhile caput of the far-right English Defence League admitted successful tribunal to breaching an injunction against repeating claims astir a Syrian exile schoolboy aft losing a 2021 libel case.

Farage near his erstwhile enactment UKIP successful 2018 saying its relation with Robinson had brought "scuffles" and "violence" to the party.

He has ruled retired Robinson being allowed to articulation Reform UK.

Party members astatine the lawsuit astatine Sandown speech earnestly astir electoral success, and portion galore explicit sympathy for Robinson, they recognize wherefore helium mightiness beryllium politically unpalatable.

"Whatever happens with Tommy, his bosom is successful the close spot but helium volition ne'er beryllium forgiven by the mainstream media," says Kevin Burrell.

"Much arsenic I respect what he's doing I tin recognize wherefore Reform don't enactment him.

"If you extremity up successful a slanging lucifer implicit that, you volition extremity up with the Tories oregon Labour."

Jackie Collett says she doesn't cognize "what is making Nigel excavation is heels in" but adds that Robinson is simply a "loose canon".

She says she is simply a realist and acknowledges that Reform mightiness "disappear into the wilderness" but for present she says it is "the lone enactment that gives maine anticipation to spell retired successful the morning".

As the evening progresses, news emerges astir the 10 Reform UK councillors successful Derbyshire who resigned, arguing the enactment was being tally successful an "increasingly autocratic manner" and had "lost its consciousness of direction" since Farage took over.

Farage aboriginal told BBC Newsnight the radical were a "rogue branch" of the enactment who had not "passed vetting".

The group's leader, Councillor Alex Stevenson, who was suspended arsenic a subordinate successful December, and who stood for Reform UK successful Amber Valley successful the wide election, did not contradict that immoderate of the candidates helium enactment guardant for section elections had not passed the party's vetting process.

There is nary notation of the resignations astatine the conference, alternatively members are invited to cheer 2 councillor defections from the Conservatives to Reform.

And determination is small nationalist motion of discontent with Farage, though 1 subordinate whispers his unease.

Preferring not to beryllium named, ("I don't privation to beryllium thrown out") helium says, "Farage doesn't needfully person what is needed".

"He's rather egotistical. Rupert Lowe would beryllium my preference. He's been hard astatine work, asking questions successful Parliament. Nigel isn't astir arsenic much."

On Robinson, helium suggests Farage "shouldn't beryllium rather truthful critical".

Rupert Lowe, the MP for Great Yarmouth, isn't a household sanction but it is 1 that crops up unprompted passim the evening.

Graham Croft-Smith expresses a small disappointment that Lowe isn't speaking astatine the event. "He's a existent statesman," helium says.

Lowe is not determination but immoderate of the party's different large names are, including MP and enactment laminitis Richard Tice and Chair Zia Yusuf.

Yusuf begins his code by welcoming "all you fake Reform members" - a notation to Kemi Badenoch's scepticism implicit the rank numbers.

London Assembly Member Alex Wilson asks however galore successful the assemblage spent Boxing Day watching the party's rank antagonistic tick over.

"Yes!' shouts a pistillate from the audience.

Last month, a integer tracker connected Reform's website showed its rank numbers overtook the 131,680 fig declared by the Conservatives successful 2024.

Reform UK was primitively called the Brexit Party but these days Brexit lone gets a fewer mentions.

The large themes see absorption to net-zero policies, enactment for a nationalist enquiry into grooming gangs, the system and the imaginable postponement of section elections successful May.

More than fractional of the region councils owed to person elections could ask ministers to hold the ballots, pursuing a large shake-up of section government.

Earlier this week, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said it would beryllium "ludicrous" to clasp elections for councils that were owed to beryllium reorganised.

However, the taxable has infuriated Reform UK members, galore of whom anticipation the May elections could spot the enactment marque electoral gains.

Blogger Liza Martin-Pope says it is wherefore she decided to be the league this evening adding: "I'm missing my dancing for this."

She argues that the imaginable delays magnitude to "removing entree to section ideology for section people."

"These authorities are moving scared."

Eve Wilkinson is likewise furious. "It's disgusting, wholly undemocratic, perfectly retired of order. It incenses me," she says.

Caroline Burford-Pugh, her hubby Richard and their friends Charlotte and Matthew Lubbe person travel to the lawsuit together.

They are caller members, caller to authorities and Caroline says she puts the chances of Farage being premier curate aft the adjacent predetermination astatine 10 retired of 10.

The enactment has prospered because of dissatisfaction with the Conservatives and disappointment with the aboriginal signs from Labour, says Luke Tryl from the probe radical More In Common, with ratings up from astir 15 to 20%. But a wide predetermination is years away.

Whether the enactment tin spell from 5 MPs successful 2024 to authorities remains to beryllium seen, but immoderate happens, it's wide determination are enactment members inactive enthused by Reform's offer.