Leader of the Reform UK Nigel Farage speaks to party members during the annual party conference (Image: Getty Images)

8 of the maddest things heard at Nigel Farage's Reform UK conference

Around 4,000 cheering delegates descended on the NEC to celebrate the hard-right party returning five MPs at the General Election.

by · Daily Record

Reform UK has just hosted its most extravagant event yet in Birmingham, complete with fireworks, stunts, and plenty of grandstanding. An estimated 4,000 enthusiastic delegates flocked to the NEC, celebrating the party's success in securing five MPs at the General Election.

Ex-Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson caused a stir by tearing up a TV licence reminder during his tirade against the BBC, while speaker after speaker predicted Nigel Farage as the next Prime Minister. The event also featured TV personality Ant Middleton cautioning about civil unrest and former Southampton FC chairman-turned-MP Rupert Lowe expressing grievances over transphobia.

Here's a rundown of some standout moments from the day:

1. Lee Anderson rips up TV licence reminder

Lee Anderson, known for his outspoken views, thrilled the Reform crowd by destroying a TV licence reminder letter. The ex-deputy chairman of the Tories, who has been a vocal critic of the BBC, incited roars of approval with chants of "rip it up" following his declaration: "Let's be honest friends, we have made mistakes in the past and when we make mistakes we must apologise, and we have been responsible for some awful things, things like the BBC."

Join the Daily Record's WhatsApp community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages.

He continued, revealing that despite previously tearing up a reminder online, he received another one, the Mirror reports.

"What do you think we should do with this," he asked the audience before proceeding to rip it apart on stage.

2. Richard Tice vows to scrap Net Zero if Reform wins

Deputy leader Mr Tice received a rapturous standing ovation from the crowd as he pledged to "scrap net zero". Having been sidelined by Mr Farage during the election campaign, Mr Tice declared that abolishing net zero would be the party's initial action.

In a blistering critique of Ed Miliband, who is spearheading Labour's response to the climate emergency, Mr Tice branded the net zero goal a "cult", stating: "In this extreme cult of net zero he is the chief zealot."

Richard Tice (Image: Getty Images)

He added, "He really is, he's absolutely obsessed. In the chamber he's like a man possessed. I actually had to leave the chamber, my blood was boiling."

He further proclaimed: "The first thing we should do when we win the next general election folks, is to scrap net zero."

3. Ant Middleton says civil unrest 'is coming'

TV tough guy Ant Middleton echoed sentiments akin to those of Elon Musk as he cautioned that civil unrest "is coming". The ex-SAS: Who Dares Wins presenter, who parted ways with Channel 4 amid controversy over his "personal conduct", was met with thunderous applause when he remarked: "This country born on the values of Christianity."

He elaborated: "When you have a nation of confused people, guess what happens after? Frustration. What happens after frustration? Anger, violence..."

He warned: "We are at a very important and crucial stage before it teeters into civil unrest, which we want to avoid at all costs. But it's coming. We are on that edge where violence has hit the streets. We've all seen it."

4. Nigel Farage was touted as a potential future Prime Minister

Former Strictly contestant Ann Widdecombe addressed the audience saying, "The idea of getting rid of the EU was that we should take full control of our own borders. And if we haven't done it up til now we will do it the day after Nigel Farage enters No10 Downing Street."

In addition, MP James McMurdock praised Mr Farage and Mr Tice as the proper figures "to lead us into Downing Street", adding, "We'll then be ready to help Nigel Farage, not just as a member of Parliament, but as the Prime Minister."

5. Lee Anderson doubled down on Khan slur

Lee Anderson, after being ousted from the Conservative Party for claiming Sadiq Khan was under Islamist control, refused to apologise despite wide condemnation. He was met with applause as he expressed his defiant stance at the Reform event: "I like to think of it as constructive criticism. In my opinion, he has given our capital city away. He should be thoroughly ashamed of himself."

He stated, "I was told at the time that I must apologise to Labour's mayor in London. Let me tell you, I will never apologise to that man."

6. MP messed up 20,000 leaflets

In an unfortunate slip-up, new Reform MP James McMurdock confessed to messing up 20,000 of his campaign leaflets, resulting in a tedious fix during the General Election run.

Mr McMurdock shared with the audience his mishap of leaving the party logo off 20,000 leaflets, which led to a laborious task: "I left the imprint off of 20,000 leaflets I'd ordered. What's worse than one mistake is 20,000."

Ant Middleton speaks at the Reform UK party's annual conference (Image: PA)

He recounted the tedious process he and his wife endured: "So that small but mandatory detail meant my wonderful wife and I had to spend many evenings manually stamping it off. I can honestly still hear that 'cadoom' in my dreams."

7. Ex-Southampton chairman moaning it's too easy to be called Islamophobic or transphobic

Former Southampton chairman Rupert Lowe expressed his frustration over how easily one can be accused of being transphobic or Islamophobic. Addressing Reform UK's conference, Lowe said: "Terms like hate speech, transphobia and Islamophobia have expanded effectively to dissent. Doubt and victimhood have been encouraged, resulting in young people submitting to rather than dealing with their problems, citing mental health issues."

His comments were met with applause from the attendees.

Top news stories today

8. Lee Anderson basks in being named Britain's worst man

Lee Anderson took a moment to revel in an unusual accolade during his speech, telling the crowd: "The greatest achievement during my political career was in 2022. I was voted the worst man in Britain by The Daily Mirror."

He added with a hint of pride that he had even outdone Prince Andrew in this regard.

Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.

Story SavedYou can find this story in  My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.