The British far-right party Reform UK, which garnered over 14% of the vote in the July general elections, has surpassed the Conservative Party in membership, its leader Nigel Farage announced on Thursday.
According to an online counter available on the Reform UK website, more than 133,000 people have joined, compared to the Conservative Party’s 131,680 members.
"This is a historic moment," wrote the 60-year-old Brexit figurehead on social network X. "The youngest political party in Britain has just surpassed the oldest political party in the world. Reform UK is now the true opposition."
New Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has questioned these figures, accusing Farage of "fudging" the numbers. Farage responded by saying he would "gladly invite" an independent company to verify the membership count, provided the Tories do the same.
After failing to be elected seven times, Nigel Farage became an MP in the July general elections. These elections saw his nationalist and anti-immigration party, Reform UK, secure over 14% of the vote and enter Parliament with five seats.
Conversely, the Conservative Party experienced its worst defeat in history in the early July general elections, retaining only 121 seats.
In early November, the Tories appointed Kemi Badenoch as their new leader. She is the first black woman to hold such a position in the UK and describes herself as "anti-woke". Badenoch has pledged to defend "true conservatism" and implement strict immigration policies.
