Farage denies stoking Southport riots misinformation ahead of Reform conference: Live

Reform UK’s annual conference, taking place in Birmingham this weekend, “marks the coming of age” of the party, Nigel Farage has claimed.

Reform, which now claims to have more than 70,000 members, has said this year is its largest ever conference with ticket sales more than four times last year’s figures.

Reform UK’s five MPs will each address the conference stage, leading up to a keynote speech by Mr Farage at 4pm which will see him issue a “clarion call for change”.

Nigel Farage has announced he is “relinquishing” control of Reform UK and giving up his majority shareholder position, just one day before the party begins its annual conference.

Reform UK Ltd is a registered company, unlike most other political parties, and was previously registered as the Brexit Party from 2018-2021.

Companies House lists party leader Mr Farage, and deputy leader Richard Tice, as persons with significant control, with the former currently owning more than 50 per cent of shares.

But in a video posted to X on Thursday, Mr Farage said: “I’ve now made a decision. I no longer need to control this party. I’m going to let go. We will change the structure of the party from one limited by shares to a company limited by guarantee, and that means it’s the members of Reform that will own this party.

“I am relinquishing control of the company, and indeed of the overall control of the party, it’s now going to be the members, and that, I think, is the right thing, and it’s the right thing because this conference marks the coming of age of Reform UK, and that’s something that I’m very, very excited about.”

Our political correspondent Millie Cooke has the full report:

Nigel Farage has denied fuelling the Southport riots as his Reform UK party gears up for its annual conference in Birmingham.

In a video repeating claims that the suspect in the deadly knife attack on a Taylor Swift-themed dance class may have been known to security services, the newly-elected Clacton MP claimed “I just wonder whether the truth is being withheld from us”, just hours before rioters incensed by false online claims attacked a mosque.

But Mr Farage insisted on Thursday: “I asked a very simple question: can we please be told the truth? That was all. Can we please be told the truth?”

Speaking during an LBC phone-in, the Reform leader claimed his position had been “vindicated” by subsequent suggestions by the government’s terror tsar Jonathan Hall KC and Lib Dem peer Lord Carlile that authorities could have publicised information about the suspect more quickly to quell misinformation.

Mr Farage told listeners: “What I thought vindicated me wholly was Jonathan Hall, KC, who is the tsar for terrorism and rioting, backed up by Lord Carlile, Liberal Democrat peer – both said that the public, the government and police, need to level with the public.”

Good afternoon, and thanks for joining us on The Independent’s politics blog, where we’ll be bringing you the latest updates ahead of Reform UK’s conference in Birmingham.