A recent poll has revealed a shocking truth about the beliefs of Reform UK members. It's time to address the elephant in the room: the disturbing racial tensions within this political party.
More than half of Reform UK members, according to the first public poll, believe that non-white British citizens born abroad should be deported or encouraged to leave the UK. This finding is a stark reminder of the racial divides that persist in our society.
But here's where it gets controversial: even non-white citizens with UK-born parents are not exempt from this sentiment, with a significant 22% of Reform members supporting their removal as well. This poll, conducted by Survation, surveyed a substantial 629 members of Reform UK, a party that claims to have over 270,000 paid-up members.
The anti-racism group, Hope Not Hate (HnH), which published this research, describes it as evidence of the tensions within Nigel Farage's party. Their chief executive, Nick Lowles, warns that with Reform UK's attempts to appeal to more moderate voters, or if they were to gain power, some members might become disillusioned with the party's direction.
And this is the part most people miss: there's a growing support within Farage's party for hardline right-wing figures like Rupert Lowe and Tommy Robinson. Lowe, who recently launched the party Restore Britain, advocates for mass deportations, a policy that has gained traction among two-thirds of Farage's members.
HnH, with their decades of experience monitoring the far right, is sounding the alarm on the rise of explicit racial nationalism. This dangerous ideology defines English identity by 'blood and ancestry', and proposes 'remigration' as a solution, which is essentially a softer version of ethnic cleansing and forced repatriation.
The report warns that these extreme views are breaking into the mainstream, backed by Reform UK and media supporters. HnH draws a direct link between the far-right's racially charged identity politics and recent statements by Reform UK figures like Matthew Goodwin and Suella Braverman.
Goodwin, who lost the Gorton and Denton byelection, refused to retract his claim that UK-born people from minority ethnic backgrounds are not truly British. He famously stated, "It takes more than a piece of paper to make somebody 'British'." This sentiment was echoed by Braverman, who, in a Telegraph article, proclaimed herself a proud British Asian but not English.
The UK's far right is becoming bolder and more confrontational, according to HnH. They highlight the 'unite the kingdom' rally in London, led by Tommy Robinson (real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon), as a key moment in the far right's rise. This rally, attended by over 150,000 people, was the largest far-right protest in British history. A quarter of the British population identifies positively with Robinson's movement, a truly concerning statistic.
Another rally is being planned, this time with the support of none other than Elon Musk. Robinson, now in the US, is being feted by right-wing figures, including political appointees and congressmen. This international recognition only adds fuel to the fire.
The HnH report also highlights the wave of anti-migrant protests that took place outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Epping last year. These protests, which attracted thousands, have persisted through the winter months, and there are fears that as the weather warms up, these activities will surge once again.
This poll and the subsequent report shed light on the disturbing racial undercurrents within Reform UK and the far right in general. It's a call to action for all of us to address these issues head-on and promote a more inclusive and tolerant society.
What are your thoughts on these findings? Do you think enough is being done to counter these extreme views? Feel free to share your opinions in the comments below.
