How Reform Plans To Conquer London

Reform UK wants London to be a priority next year (Alamy)

After Reform won its first ever election in London last month with the success of candidate Alan Cook in Bromley, PoliticsHome reveals how the right-wing party’s strategy for the capital is shaping up ahead of other key elections in the coming years.

Reform is set to target outer London’s boroughs in particular and push policies on tackling crime and membership of the Greater London Authority (GLA) for some border boroughs.

One party source told PoliticsHome the party already had a strategy worked up to target the entire outer London horseshoe. However, according to one Labour MP, their party currently has no strategy for outer London.

It comes after PoliticsHome revealed that there was nervousness within the Labour party about potential losses at the London council elections next year. 

PoliticsHome can reveal the initial steps Reform UK is taking to build its base in the capital. 

London to be a 'priority' for Reform in 2026

While London has not traditionally been seen as a place where Reform could make major strides, PoliticsHome has been told that London will be a priority among council elections next year, and a key stepping stone to other victories.

Currently, around two-thirds of the London boroughs — 21 of 32 councils — are controlled by Keir Starmer's party.

Despite Reform polling lower in London than the national average — 16 per cent compared to 26 per cent across the UK, according to YouGov — there is nervousness that the party still poses a significant threat, especially in some of the East London boroughs, with one Labour source previously telling PoliticsHome: “If they get their act together and get organised, they will be a threat."

Alex Wilson, Reform UK’s only London Assembly member, told PoliticsHome: “London will be a key step in continuing the momentum [of the party]”.

While Reform UK has focused on setting up constituency branches across England, these organisations have until recently been underrepresented in the capital.

Wilson said the party is currently in the process of setting up branches across London boroughs. At the time of writing, some are single boroughs while others are two-borough branches.

“By the time of the election next year, we should have 32 borough branches running those campaigns,” Wilson told PoliticsHome.

Farage wants candidates in "every ward"

In the May 2025 elections, Reform said it would contest nearly all the 1,600 council seats up for grabs.

In a bid to replicate those tactics in London, Wilson told PoliticsHome: “Nigel [Farage] is giving clear instructions that everybody in every ward has to have the opportunity to vote for us, with at least one candidate in every ward [in the capital].”

Candidates will go through vetting within the national party, but once people are vetted local branches will be free to choose which candidate they want to put forward.

Wilson said: “I have been told London will be a priority among council elections next year. It’s our national city; if we want to be a national party, it means we have to have a foothold in the capital city.”

“There is no reason why we cannot get some votes in councils across the city,” he added.

Wilson also said that there will be a change in the campaigning strategy for London in 2026 compared to the general election of 2024.

On leafletting and campaign literature, Wilson said that while London campaigning has historically been very general and focused on national issues, in recent months Reform has been choosing issues relevant to the local areas it has been focusing campaigning in.

Newly-elected Bromley councillor Cook told PoliticsHome that crime will be a major part of the campaigning agenda, to be seen from the party’s recently launched “Britain is Lawless” campaign.

As well as crime, Reform is keen to push the view that the policies for central London do not necessarily reflect well in outer London.

Cook said that the party has been discussing the policy of removing some outer London boroughs from the GLA, with Bromley, Bexley, and Havering to be considered.

“These are all areas with the same sort of demographics that don't necessarily mesh very well with inner London policies."

Cook described the move as a "huge shift" that the party will be using next year. 

He was clear, however, that a split from the GLA would not mean a loss of services for residents, but more choice over the ones adopted by specific areas.

Where could the party see success?

PoliticsHome analysis of recent YouGov constituency polling suggests that the three boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Bexley, and Havering could see a huge surge in Reform councillors next year.

For Wilson, Bexley and Havering are “top targets” where Reform would hope to take control, with the party looking to win a significant number of council seats in Barking and Dagenham and Bromley in particular.

However, Wilson said that the party is also hoping to make gains in Barnet and Croydon.

Further analysis of YouGov MRP constituency polling reveals that Reform is currently the most popular party in just five seats across the capital.

However, it is polling second in 28 of the 75 London constituencies, meaning the party could make gains in areas outside of the East boroughs.

It also suggests that while Reform may not win control of the councils in those harder-to-reach areas, they could still make dents in the sides of their opponents.

The constituencies in which the party is polling closest to the forerunner are Bromley and Biggin Hill, Uxbridge and South Ruislip, Feltham and Heston, Orpington, Croydon East, and Eltham and Chislehurst.

These constituencies cover the boroughs of Bromley, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Croydon and Greenwich. 

The analysis shows that Reform’s scope in outer London covers not just the East and South East of the city, but the West too.

Cook told PoliticsHome that the party would be targeting the “doughnut” of outer London, but gains in inner London will also be eyed.

Cook described his victory as a “ wonderful omen” and himself as a “domino pusher” for Reform’s future success in the capital.

Additional reporting by Harriet Symonds

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