Nigel Farage has announced he is quitting as owner of his political party. Is this the end of Reform UK plc?
Reform was originally established as a public limited company – one that offers stock to members of the public – with Farage himself as the majority shareholder.
He says this was done to make it possible to create Reform’s original iteration – the Brexit Party – in time to win the majority of seats in the 2019 European Parliament elections.
But it is a clearly undemocratic structure. It meant Farage was able to announce his return as party leader ahead of July’s general election without any need for an election; it meant he has been able to dictate policy; and it meant he was able to prevent other people from taking over (or as he described it, “to stop the party being hijacked by bad people”).
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
Now Farage is claiming he no longer needs to be “in control” of Reform UK and is surrendering all of his shares. What, without receiving a dividend on them? Or is he in fact cashing them in – which could be a money-spinner if the party really has gained 15,000 new members since the general election and now stands at more than 80,000?
It means a major change in party structures when it meets in Birmingham for its annual conference. For the first time, according to the BBC, members will be able to
- vote on policy motions, including to adopt a new constitution which sets out party rules and the responsibilities of the leadership; and
- remove Farage – or any other party leader – in a no-confidence vote.
Farage has set the bar for such a vote very high – at least 50 per cent of all members would have to write to the party chairperson (currently Zia Yusuf), or 50 MPs – or 50 per cent of them – write requesting one. But this only applies if there are more than 100 Reform UK MPs in Parliament.
So he’s probably still safe in his position as leader – unless members get to vote to change that particular party rule.
And aren’t they being given the opportunity to do just that?
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Is this the end of Reform UK plc?
Nigel Farage has announced he is quitting as owner of his political party. Is this the end of Reform UK plc?
Reform was originally established as a public limited company – one that offers stock to members of the public – with Farage himself as the majority shareholder.
He says this was done to make it possible to create Reform’s original iteration – the Brexit Party – in time to win the majority of seats in the 2019 European Parliament elections.
But it is a clearly undemocratic structure. It meant Farage was able to announce his return as party leader ahead of July’s general election without any need for an election; it meant he has been able to dictate policy; and it meant he was able to prevent other people from taking over (or as he described it, “to stop the party being hijacked by bad people”).
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
Now Farage is claiming he no longer needs to be “in control” of Reform UK and is surrendering all of his shares. What, without receiving a dividend on them? Or is he in fact cashing them in – which could be a money-spinner if the party really has gained 15,000 new members since the general election and now stands at more than 80,000?
It means a major change in party structures when it meets in Birmingham for its annual conference. For the first time, according to the BBC, members will be able to
Farage has set the bar for such a vote very high – at least 50 per cent of all members would have to write to the party chairperson (currently Zia Yusuf), or 50 MPs – or 50 per cent of them – write requesting one. But this only applies if there are more than 100 Reform UK MPs in Parliament.
So he’s probably still safe in his position as leader – unless members get to vote to change that particular party rule.
And aren’t they being given the opportunity to do just that?
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Be among the first to know what’s going on! Here are the ways to manage it:
1) Register with us by clicking on ‘Subscribe’ (bottom right of the home page). You can then receive notifications of every new article that is posted here.
2) Follow VP on Twitter @VoxPolitical
3) Like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VoxPolitical/
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
4) You could even make Vox Political your homepage at http://voxpoliticalonline.com
5) Join the uPopulus group at https://upopulus.com/groups/vox-political/
6) Join the MeWe page at https://mewe.com/p-front/voxpolitical
7) Feel free to comment!
And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
Cruel Britannia is available
in either print or eBook format here:
The Livingstone Presumption is available
in either print or eBook format here:
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
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