Farage Fires Up Reform’s Local Election Campaign

Nigel Farage launches Reform UK campaign as a UK local elections campaign rally draws 1,500 supporters on the Isle of Wight.

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Mar 11, 2026 - 07:37

Farage Fires Up Reform’s Local Election Campaign

Reform leader Nigel Farage launched his party's local election campaign with the first of a series of rallies across the country.

The event, live-streamed under the banner "Reform will fix it," took place at GG's restaurant on the Isle of Wight, near Newport, on Monday night.

Organizers said they sold 1,500 tickets for the event, which cost £5 to attend.

The leader admitted to the crowd that the party did not yet have a full list of candidates contesting the island's local elections in May, but he felt they had a "very good chance" of gaining control of the council.

Speakers included young councilors from County Durham and Essex authorities, but the focus of the speeches on stage was on national politics.

Topics included defense, the welfare state, and "the failure of any party to stop the boats."

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Farage was asked how he would solve the financial situation facing the Isle of Wight Council, which, like other councils, has recently needed significant financial support from the government.

He said, "I'm not going to promise we can wave a magic wand, but we will find a new way." "Where necessary, we will make cuts and bring about efficiencies."

When asked if this meant closing public services like libraries or removing subsidies for bus services, Farage said: "It means choices, whether it's administrative staff, or options around buildings, assets that need to be sold.

"The Isle of Wight Council is a microcosm of the country. Financially, we are being devastated, along with local and national government. We have to be very tough."

He also confirmed that Caroline Gladwin, one of the current Reform councillors on the island, was readmitted to the party on Monday after being suspended.

Isle of Wight Conservative MP Joe Robertson criticized the letter inviting people to the rally, saying it contained "national messages about violent crime and overflowing bins that have nothing to do with the island."

Labour MP Richard Quigley said the criticism of road maintenance was "completely misplaced," noting that the council was one of the top three authorities for good roads.

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Phil Jordan, the Independent leader of the Isle of Wight Council, said that Reform UK was spreading false information about the council's finances before the event and that the authority's long-term borrowing had significantly decreased.

He said: "It's a shame that our island has been chosen as a test bed for national politics, asking voters to put national issues before local ones." False and distorted facts have been used to entice you to vote for them."

The Green Party posted on its Facebook page: "Thanks, Nigel! Even before your livestream ended, we've inspired three new councillor candidates to contest for the Greens. This is a great result for us!"

Currently, Reform has two councillors on the Isle of Wight Council.

The authority is run by a minority coalition called the Alliance Group, which has 11 councillors. This includes 13 Conservatives, four Lib Dems, one Labour, three Empowering Islanders, two Very Broad Church members, and three Independents.

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