Is Reform a cult of personality?

In a clip from this week's live PMQs watch-along, Ava, Laura, and comedian Elliot Steel dive into recent polling suggesting Reform UK could win 36% of the vote. But is this Reform surge a genuine political movement, or would the party fall apart without its leader Nigel Farage?

Elliot argues that the Reform wave feels less like a party and more like a fan club, fuelled by Farage’s social-media savvy and his supporters’ appetite for outrage. The panel pick apart how Reform monetises online anger while offering little in the way of a deliverable policy platform.

They also compare the right’s success at mobilising energy and identity with the left’s more sluggish attempts at grassroots party-building through Sultana and Corbyn's Your Party, which has struggled to gain traction despite a growing appetite for change.

The trio also unpack his week’s Prime Minister’s Questions, unpacking the fallout from the collapsed Chinese spy trial, which Laura suggests is pretty trivial in the wake of right-wing populism.

***

[AD] Save more, earn more—up to 4% AER (variable). Interest rates are tiered, with the top rate for balances over £1M. Each tiered rate applies to the

portion within that range. New Tide members get these rates free for 6

months; after that, your Tide plan’s rates apply. Visit tide.co/joe for more.

Rate correct as of 7th August 2025.

***

Like PoliticsJOE? We need your support: