Three key moments from Reform UK's conference Reform UK wanted this year’s annual conference in Birmingham to be about “making Britain fall in love with Nigel Farage again”. But that plan to woo voters and consolidate their base by presenting a strategy for their first 100 days in power fell apart before it had even begun. Channel 4 News broadcast an undercover sting operation from investigative group Verbatim on Thursday evening, shortly before delegates arrived. The footage accused Reform of taking funds from a US company to commission three supposedly independent polls at £32,500 earlier this year, research which was then shared with the media. Reform’s head of policy James Orr and Farage’s close aide Dan Jukes organised the donation. They were unaware the donors were actually undercover reporters. British electoral law says political donations can only be made by someone eligible to vote in the UK or a UK-registered company. But Jukes appeared to propose a work-around so that an American businessman could donate £500,000 to the party through his British son. Reform initially called the documentary a “hoax”, and said it was guilty of no wrongdoing. It then launched an internal investigation and both Jukes and Orr stepped down from their roles. Farage, who was seen in some of the footage engaging with the undercover journalists when they were presented as donors, told the BBC: “I frankly wasn’t even listening.” The Metropolitan Police and the Electoral Commission are now assessing reports into the donations. Unsurprisingly, the conference ended up being a far-cry from the plan to look more professional. Here’s some of the strangest moments may have missed. 1. Farage’s Reaction After Losing 2 Aides Jukes has worked with Farage for years and their relationship has been compared to father and son. Orr was the policy brain of the party, and his attendance at a conference set to be a policy-blitz was crucial. But Farage distanced himself significantly, calling them “contractors” who were only guilty of “loose pub talk”. There was also significant confusion over whether they would ever be able to return, even though Reform’s internal investigation is yet to conclude. Reform’s chair Lee Anderson told broadcasters they were not coming back, while other party officials said it was too early to say. 2. Richard Tice’s Speech Overshadowed By A Banner A small sign depicting Farage as the Monopoly Man running off with a bag of cash amid a sea of flames appeared behind the deputy party leader during his speech. It had the caption, “Collect £5 million, burn the planet,” in reference to the ongoing parliamentary probe into the undeclared lump sum Farage received before he became an MP. The sign, unfurled by Greenpeace, was swiftly removed. A banner has appeared behind Richard Tice saying "collect £5 million, burn the planet" during his conference speech pic.twitter.com/ydOPfm1o9T — Sophie Huskisson (@soph_husk) September 4, 2026 3. Farage’s Stage Delay After the banner incident, Farage’s subsequent keynote speech was delayed by more than an hour. Reform sources claimed it was due to a warning from Counter-Terror Police who “wouldn’t let him on stage yet”. However, West Midlands Police said: “We can confirm that Counter Terrorism Policing have had no involvement in the delivery of the Reform UK Party Conference 2026.” 4. Protesters Disrupt Farage’s Speech Multiple demonstrators were thrown out once the keynote speech got going. Farage tried to downplay the disruptions, telling the crowd: “We’ve got a screamer. Oh dear.” He added: “That poor young girl, she looked like she was going to do herself an injury.” He then said: “Boring, boring, boring.” Activist group Climate Resistance claimed responsibility for the protest. 5. The Violent Reaction To One Demonstrator One woman was removed by security guards, only for members of the crowd to apparently grab at her face and hair, hitting her with a walking stick. She told LBC: “Yesterday I was hit and grabbed by the hair and by my jaw by attendees at the Reform UK conference after calling out Nigel Farage for being a conman during his keynote speech.” She added: “Nigel Farage himself, as well as members of the audience, are inciting this violence by celebrating assaults like the one I experienced.” West Midlands Police said in a statement they are aware of the video circulating online. They are yet to receive a complaint from the woman involved but urged anyone with information to come forward. Reform UK’s home affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf later said: “On the question of whether I condemn people punching people, yes, I condemn people punching people.” I find protestors as annoying as anyone but this is not okay. pic.twitter.com/DkbiZNuT0R — Emily Hewertson 🇬🇧 🏴 (@emilyhewertson) September 5, 2026 6. A Toe-Curling Interview With Nadine Dorries Nadine Dorries, formerly the Conservative culture secretary under Boris Johnson, defected to Reform after stepping down as an MP in 2024. She tried furiously to defend Farage over the documentary, accusing it of being “very heavily edited”. This was a car-crash interview with Nadine Dorries, but she always defended the indefensible. That’s why the Tories used to wheel her out whenever Boris Johnson broke the law. pic.twitter.com/8mAHbaUtoK — Mukhtar (@I_amMukhtar) September 4, 2026 7. Another Toe-Curling Interview Reform’s candidate to be London mayor, Laila Cunningham, admitted to BBC Newsnight she had not watched the whole documentary. Presenter Matt Chorley was stunned, replying: “What? Laila, you are a senior member of Reform UK, standing for election to be London mayor next year. “This is the only story coming out of the Reform UK, serious allegations, which has got the Metropolitan Police and Electoral Commission assessing. And you’re coming on here to tell me everything is fine, no rules have been broken, and you’re telling me you haven’t watched the footage?” Watch the spat here: “I haven’t had time to watch the whole documentary” “What?” Matt Chorley quizzes Reform UK’s Laila Cunningham on what the party’s official response is to allegations broadcast by Channel 4 News that the party plotted to break electoral law#Newsnightpic.twitter.com/jkteJvAkIh — BBC Newsnight (@BBCNewsnight) September 4, 2026 8. Robert Jenrick’s Defence Of Farage The Reform MP furiously defended his party leader after Channel 4’s documentary showed the Reform UK leader saying “thank you” to the fictitious donors. He told Times Radio: “You can’t criticise a leader for saying thank you over lunch to someone. I know a lot of slings and arrows are thrown at Nigel Frage, but being polite is not a crime these days.” Robert Jenrick says Nigel Farage’s “sole involvement” in the donation investigation was to “have lunch.” “You can't criticise a leader for saying thank you over lunch to someone … being polite is not a crime these days.”@rosiewright99pic.twitter.com/loZeW5YlM2 — Times Radio (@TimesRadio) September 5, 2026 9. Jenrick Offers To Resign (From A Job He Doesn’t Have) Jenrick, Reform’s Treasury spokesperson, announced his plan to resign as chancellor if he did not deliver on his promises to cut taxes once in power. However, the party is not in government. It is not even the shadow cabinet, because that name belongs to the second largest party in the Commons, the Conservatives. My resignation letter. pic.twitter.com/MK3Uv2CgFb — Robert Jenrick (@RobertJenrick) September 5, 2026 10. Farage Reveals His Family Told Him To Get Out Of Politics The party leader said his relatives urged him to quit over the summer amid safety concerns. He told the BBC: “For the first time, really, in my political career, I haven’t got my family’s support. They would rather I packed it up and walked away. So yes it’s been difficult.” 11. Richard Tice Tops It All Off With A Strange Celebration Despite all of this chaos, the deputy party leader posted some jubilant photos on Saturday showing him jumping for joy on stage... Jumping for joy at the Reform UK Conference! The energy is unmatched. What a day. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ZaBqHqDDPw — Richard Tice MP 🇬🇧 (@TiceRichard) September 5, 2026 Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster. Related... 'I Wasn't Even Listening': Nigel Farage Comes Up With New Excuse Amid Reform Funding Row Zia Yusuf Accused Of Plotting To Replace Nigel Farage Amid Donations Row Jack-The-Lad-Dery': Farage Plays Down Donations Row, Insisting It Stems From 'Loose Pub Talk'