Reform UK Membership Surpasses Conservatives, Claims Farage

Investing.com -- The populist Reform UK party, led by Nigel Farage, has announced that its membership surpasses that of the Conservative Party. According to the counter on the Reform UK website, as of Thursday afternoon, the party had over 133,000 members. In comparison, there were 131,680 Tory members eligible to vote in this year's Conservative Party leadership contest, which resulted in Kemi Badenoch becoming the party leader in November.

Nigel Farage described this development as "a significant, historic moment," stating in a message sent via email that "Reform UK is now the real opposition." However, it has not been possible to independently verify the membership numbers provided by Reform UK or the latest Tory membership figures.

The Reform UK party has continued to gain momentum throughout the year. In this year's general election, it secured 14.3% of the national vote. In this election, the Conservatives lost to the Labour Party, ending their 14-year tenure in power. The party's growth was further buoyed by the tumultuous start of Prime Minister Keir Starmer's administration and the support of prominent figures such as Tesla Inc. CEO and X owner Elon Musk.

Farage, favored by betting companies as Starmer's successor, met with Musk earlier this month at the Mar-a-Lago resort of elected U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss potential political donations. If Musk, the world's richest individual, finances the party, it could potentially disrupt the long-standing two-party dominance in British politics.