The opinion polls predicted Reform UK would win maybe three seats max, but according to the election exit poll revealed at 10pm tonight (which is considered to be the most accurate prediction of voting behaviour), the four-year-old political party has won at least 16 seats in today’s election. That means Nigel Farage’s party is the fourth most popular in the UK, swamping the Green Party who are expected to win just two seats having previously been considered a top four party.
It will come as no surprise to those who’ve seen the influx of ‘Vote Reform UK’ comments on social media, so common they almost appeared bot-like in nature but were seemingly real people. But it does raise questions about what this means for women in the UK.
Just yesterday, Nigel Farage was interviewed by popular author and psychologist Dr Jordan Peterson (who has 8million followers on YouTube) in a video titled ‘Conservative Failings and the Reform UK Party’ which has gained over 600,000 views in less than a day. Peterson, known as preaching the ‘gospel of masculinity’, is a fan-favourite with young men for his banishment of the concept of toxic masculinity and proclamations such as ‘Violent attacks are what happens when men do not have partners… and society needs to work to make sure those men are married.’
It was perhaps a cynical move on Reform UK’s part to align so closely with a man that has been accused of perpetuating unhelpful gender stereotypes. But what else is to be expected from Reform leader Farage, who loudly supports Donald Trump and praises Vladimir Putin? Even more cynical though, is Farage’s alignment with viral misogynist influencer Andrew Tate. On his last day of campaigning, Farage referred to himself as being ‘part of a similar phenomenon’ to the man who is accused of producing hateful content toward women and inciting misogyny among his young male followers.
Speaking at a boxing gym in Clacton, Farage described feelings of ‘emasculation’ to the young men listening. ‘Look at the football. You know, they’re told: Go to Germany. Please don’t drink more than two pints of beer. You what? Don’t chant at the football matches. You what? Oh, and don’t tell jokes that might offend the Germans. I mean, come on. We are trying to stop young men being young men,’ he said. ’That’s why Tate got the following he got. So maybe I’m part of a similar phenomenon.’
It's haunting for women. Farage is now expected to be the fourth most powerful political leader in Britain - 13 seats is a massive swing for a party that only launched in 2018 - and is unashamed about his ambition to be Prime Minister by 2029. He’s literally telling us that he likens himself to known misogynist, Tate, who is also currently facing charges in Romania of human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women (which he denies).
Eight Reform UK candidates were found to have made offensive remarks about women.
Beyond Farage, eight of the Reform UK candidates have been found to have made offensive remarks about women in the past. While the party said it planned to sue a company it hired to vet potential MPs in June when the BBC first reported the revelations, many of the candidates in question still stood in today’s election. This includes Mark Cole, standing in Harwich and North Essex, who wrote on Facebook ‘Accidently switched on to X-Factory. The only thing worth watching is the black bint.... whoever she is.’ Cole deleted the comment after being approached by the BBC. Another candidate, John Edwards, standing for Southampton Test, referred to Love Island contestants as ‘thick tarts’ and called Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson a ‘gobby bird’.
Plus, Malcolm Cupis, standing in Melksham and Devizes, who accused women dancing in a YouTube music video of ‘behaving like a gutter slut’ and referred to one as a ‘malignant old hag.’ He told the BBC he stood by his comments, adding ‘This disgusting performance should not be available to… children. It demeans girls and encourages misogyny in boys.’
‘People want politicians who speak plainly, who are not constrained by political correctness,’ he concluded. ‘The media needs to stop the endless witch hunt against politicians who make human errors.’
As far as their actual politics goes, Reform UK’s manifesto contains only three mentions of women – all only when referring to women in the armed forces, when promising to increase defence spending and support for ‘servicemen and women’. There is no mention of women’s safety, maternity provisions, improving women’s health services or gender pay gap anywhere. And their solution to the childcare crisis? For women to stay at home.
‘The majority of mothers would choose to stay at home more if they could,’ the manifesto reads. ‘Front-loading the Child Benefit system for children aged 1-4 would give parents the choice to spend more time with their children.’
All of which leaves many women worried that Reform UK’s success in the polls shows that this country is backsliding when it comes to gender equality. For a man like Farage to be so popular so as to win over 13 constituencies, it’s not just shocking, it’s scary.