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Equalities minister criticises Reform over conference footage of hair pulling

09 Sep 2026 2 minute read

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage delivers a keynote speech during the Reform UK National Conference, at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham.. Photo Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire

Rhiannon James and Harry Taylor, Press Association Political Staff

Equalities minister Bridget Phillipson has hit out at Reform UK over footage which showed a protester’s hair being pulled at the party’s conference.

West Midlands Police asked the protester to come forward in light of the footage, which also showed her head being grabbed.

Speaking in the Commons on Wednesday, Ms Phillipson said: “There can be no place for violence or intimidation of women, whether that’s on the Reform conference floor or anywhere else.

“And I would say to this House, this is not a laughing matter, and those in Reform in recent days who have sought to make light of such serious scenes should reflect very seriously on why they think it is appropriate at one level to say that violence against women is unacceptable – I agree – but then at another, allow it to take place at their own conference.”

Reform UK’s home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf condemned members who pulled the hair of a heckler during Nigel Farage’s speech.

Mr Farage said on Saturday the criticism was “one-sided”.

He added: “It’s all one way, isn’t it? I can have milkshakes chucked in my face, be bashed over the head with placards and that’s all fine. That’s absolutely fine.

“Yet, well, we have a big event that people have paid a lot of money to come to and we get people there trying to disrupt it and we remove them. Suddenly we’re in the wrong. Utter nonsense.”

Demonstrators were thrown out of the main conference hall four times at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, where Reform UK held their annual get-together.

They interrupted Mr Farage’s keynote speech, shortly after his deputy Richard Tice had a banner displayed during his own address referencing the scandal around a donation to Mr Farage.

The Reform UK leader laughed during the disruption and said: “We’ve got a screamer. Oh dear.”

Addressing the conference hall, the Reform leader said, “that poor young girl, she looked like she was going to do herself an injury”, before adding, “boring, boring, boring”.

Activist group Climate Resistance claimed responsibility for the protest.

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