Reform UK Hosts Conference With International Dignitaries Amid Funding Probe

Reform UK is organizing its annual conference in Birmingham next week, introducing a business day on Thursday to signal its readiness to lead the United Kingdom. The party is highlighting its global reach, with honorary treasurer Nick Candy reporting that ambassadors and dignitaries from nearly a dozen nations, including the United States, India, Italy, Hungary, Poland, and the UAE, are expected to attend. Jordan Bardella, leader of the French National Rally, is also scheduled to speak.

The event comes as party leader Nigel Farage faces a parliamentary investigation into an undeclared £5 million payment from Christopher Harborne, a Thailand-based cryptocurrency investor. In response to these funding probes, the party has reduced the visibility of the cryptocurrency industry at the conference by removing previous sponsors and perks.

Despite internal friction and political competition from Prime Minister Andy Burnham's Labour Party, Reform UK reports significant corporate interest, with more than 600 tickets sold for the business day event.