“Five groups of people support Reform UK, but they’re not all racists”

Martin Shipton

Reform is a far-right racist party, although not all of its supporters are racists, according to one of Britain’s leading anti-fascist organisations.

Hope Not Hate has carried out extensive research into the make-up of Reform’s base, and identified five distinct categories of supporters.

Group 1 Working Right

Strongly pro-workers’ rights, but also hold a very negative view of immigration, Muslims and climate change policies

Likely drawn to Reform over immigration concerns. Typically middle-aged and renters 86% have below degree-level qualifications Highly supportive of Tommy Robinson Nearly half believe violence can be justified in certain circumstances.

Over half of the people in this group believe that Britain should be a white, Christian country, with its values and identity reflecting this.

Group 2 Radical Young men

A group mostly drawn from the younger generation (ages 18-44), with a relatively high share of BAME people (these ethnicities are barely present in the other segments).

Not anti-Muslim/immigration, and among the most likely to want both skilled and unskilled immigrants Tendencies towards antisemitism and conspiratorial thinking Much more likely to use social media for news 55% of this group (by far the highest among all segments) believe violence can be justified in certain circumstances.

Six out of ten in this group believe that feminism has gone too far and makes it harder for men to succeed.

They are largely favourable towards more leftleaning political figures such as Jeremy Corbyn and George Galloway, but are also the segment most attracted to Andrew Tate.

Group 3 Moderate interventionist

This segment leans positively towards immigration, with members also being pro-worker and more pro-state.

They are largely in favour of multiculturalism, with 73% saying Britain should be multicultural (compared to 23% of Reform voters overall) The segment with the highest percentage of women (52%).

Drawn to Reform due to a belief that other parties have failed 14% voted Labour in 2024. The least likely to agree that violence can be acceptable under certain circumstances They dislike Tommy Robinson and Andrew Tate more than other segments.

Group 4 Older Authoritarian Right

This group is pro-climate and anti-immigration, but also holds pro-public ownership and pro-state regulation opinions.

These people are largely older, with more than 60% being over 55 years of age 83% have below degree-level qualifications and two-thirds are home owners They are largely disillusioned with the political system and pessimistic about the future 53% voted Conservative in 2019 60% are Christian (compared to 50% of Reform voters).

Group 5: Traditional Conservatives

Well over a third of this group’s members are pension-age and 70% are older than 55 More likely than other groups to own their house outright.

Voted heavily for the Conservatives in 2019 They have favourable views of Kemi Badenoch and Elon Musk They are more likely than other voter groups to consume news via GB News.

“Uniquely dangerous threat”

Speaking at a TUC Cymru Rebuilding Unity conference in Swansea, Dan Tucker, the Wales organiser of Hope Not Hate, said: “Reform UK are a far right party, and they pose a uniquely dangerous threat.

“We define far right as having racist and xenophobic rhetoric. It attempts to undermine democratic processes. It attacks human rights and the principle that all people are equal, And it has a populist, conspiratorial belief in a sinister elite.”

Describing Reform’s behaviour at elections where they have lost in England, Mr Tucker said: ”They publicly call out election officials.

“They complain in the press and to their supporters constantly about conspiracies around voting. They allege political affiliation of election officials.

“They criticise the election process in and of itself: the registration of certain types of people. And let’s be frank, they criticise postal voters and especially those from ethnic minority backgrounds.

“It’s a very thinly veiled criticism of voting in ethnic minority communities and attacks on their human rights.

“It’s just a straight up that they want to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights and don’t believe in the basic tenets of liberal democracy.

“We’re all familiar with the racism, xenophobia, misogyny, asylum seekers and Muslims as a threat to the nation.
“Farage has been on record multiple times as having said things that he won’t apologise for ‘because it’s just what people in Britain are thinking’.

“It’s populism and elite conspiracy, positioning himself as a defender of the people, yet he is a multi-millionaire who goes around wearing tweed, with a jetsetter elite who flies to America frequently and hangs out with billionaires and the President of the United States and refers to other people as the political elite. It’s pretty galling.”

By voting against increased employment rights for workers, including earlier entitlement to sick pay and maternity pay, the party had proved that it was opposed to the interests of ordinary people.

Mr Tucker said Reform was infiltrating community spaces, often starting with Facebook groups. It didn’t function as a conventional political party because it is a company whose majority shareholder is Nigel Farage. It has no democratic structure and local branch officials could be removed without a vote.

To combat Reform, Hope Nor Hate will work with local groups to develop positive community initiatives.