Reform’s rockstar rally should trouble the Tories

The Reform Party’s local election campaign launch in Birmingham was more rock concert than political rally. Thousands of the party’s supporters packed out the 10,000-seat arena on Friday. The Tories – and indeed the other parties – could learn a thing or two about inspiring their party faithful.

There were people at the event in Birmingham of all ages and ethnicities; from those committed to the Farage cause for years, back to the Ukip days, to the merely curious. I spoke to a couple of guys in their mid-20s who had come all the way up from Jersey for the event. They weren’t members yet but wanted to see what the fuss was all about. When I asked them about parties other than Reform, they both wrinkled their noses: they were particularly sniffy about the Conservative party. ‘All I see from them is a bad version of Reform.