{"id":3085,"date":"2025-12-12T18:22:13","date_gmt":"2025-12-12T18:22:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=3085"},"modified":"2025-12-12T18:22:13","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T18:22:13","slug":"reform-claims-to-now-have-more-members-than-labour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=3085","title":{"rendered":"Reform claims to now have more members than Labour"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<div data-component=\"byline-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 dPVOKT\">\n<div data-testid=\"byline-new\" class=\"sc-573fa0e8-0 bWRWzH\"><span data-testid=\"byline-new-contributors\" class=\"sc-573fa0e8-11 cOQNNv\"><\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"byline-new-contributors-contributor-0\" class=\"sc-573fa0e8-5 gXJgDY\">\n<p><span class=\"sc-573fa0e8-7 gqeTMs\">Becky Morton<\/span><span data-testid=\"byline-new-contributors-contributor-0-role-location\" class=\"sc-573fa0e8-8 bIfajQ\">Political reporter<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 eRlINq\">\n<div data-testid=\"hero-image\" class=\"sc-5340b511-1 cMIbKV\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.files.bbci.co.uk\/bbcdotcom\/web\/20251203-121739-f954f14c69-web-2.35.1-2\/grey-placeholder.png\" class=\"sc-5340b511-0 gUePlo hide-when-no-script\" aria-label=\"image unavailable\"\/><img sizes=\"(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/240\/cpsprodpb\/7cfd\/live\/8a991bf0-d779-11f0-825e-eb4c8fb7e95e.jpg.webp 240w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/320\/cpsprodpb\/7cfd\/live\/8a991bf0-d779-11f0-825e-eb4c8fb7e95e.jpg.webp 320w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/7cfd\/live\/8a991bf0-d779-11f0-825e-eb4c8fb7e95e.jpg.webp 480w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/640\/cpsprodpb\/7cfd\/live\/8a991bf0-d779-11f0-825e-eb4c8fb7e95e.jpg.webp 640w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/800\/cpsprodpb\/7cfd\/live\/8a991bf0-d779-11f0-825e-eb4c8fb7e95e.jpg.webp 800w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1024\/cpsprodpb\/7cfd\/live\/8a991bf0-d779-11f0-825e-eb4c8fb7e95e.jpg.webp 1024w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1536\/cpsprodpb\/7cfd\/live\/8a991bf0-d779-11f0-825e-eb4c8fb7e95e.jpg.webp 1536w\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/7cfd\/live\/8a991bf0-d779-11f0-825e-eb4c8fb7e95e.jpg.webp\" loading=\"eager\" alt=\"EPA Nigel Farage gives a speech from behind a turquoise Reform UK podium at the party's annual conference in Birmingham in September.\" class=\"sc-5340b511-0 hLdNfA\"\/><span class=\"sc-5340b511-2 jVqbAn\">EPA<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 dPVOKT\">\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">Reform UK claims it is now the largest political party in Britain, following reports Labour has lost more members.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thetimes.com\/uk\/politics\/article\/reform-membership-largest-party-t957zwmq9\" class=\"sc-f9178328-0 iCaRzc\" rel=\"noopener\">According to the Times newspaper<\/a>, internal figures show Labour&#8217;s membership has fallen below 250,000.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">Reform said it had more than 268,000 paid-up members, which would mean it has overtaken Labour to become the biggest party by membership in the UK.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">Labour refused to comment on the accuracy of the membership figures in the Times, with a spokesperson saying they would be published in the party&#8217;s annual report.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 dPVOKT\">\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">There is no legal obligation for political parties to publish their membership figures, which are not verified by outside bodies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reformparty.uk\/counter\" class=\"sc-f9178328-0 iCaRzc\" rel=\"noopener\">Reform tracks its membership figures using a live online counter<\/a>, which the party said only included people who had paid an annual fee of \u00a325 or \u00a310 for under-25s.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said: &#8220;As we have suspected for some time, Reform has overtaken Labour to become the largest political party in British politics &#8211; a huge milestone on our journey to win the next election. <\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">&#8220;The age of two-party politics is dead.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">The party has consistently been leading in national opinion polls since the spring.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 dPVOKT\">\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">Labour&#8217;s membership has been steadily falling since Sir Keir Starmer became leader in April 2020, according to the latest publicly available figures.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">The party&#8217;s annual accounts published in August put the party&#8217;s membership at 333,235 at the end of last year, down from a peak of more than 530,000 under Jeremy Corbyn.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">Despite the party&#8217;s landslide election victory, it shed 37,000 members over the course of 2024 and reports suggest this trend has continued.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">In February, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/labourlist.org\/2025\/02\/labour-party-membership-drop-since-general-election\/\" class=\"sc-f9178328-0 iCaRzc\" rel=\"noopener\">the LabourList website reported<\/a> the party&#8217;s membership had fallen to around 309,000 and the Times says the figure has now dropped below 250,000.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">A Labour Party spokesperson said: &#8220;Our membership figures are published in our annual report. We do not give a running a commentary on them throughout the year.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">The party&#8217;s standard membership fee is \u00a370.50 a year, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/help.labour.org.uk\/support\/solutions\/articles\/103000359906-renewing-your-membership-faqs\" class=\"sc-f9178328-0 iCaRzc\" rel=\"noopener\">with reduced rates of \u00a335.50 or \u00a312 available for certain groups<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">The Mainstream network, a new Labour campaign group which includes supporters of Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, said: &#8220;To transform Britain and defeat the far-right, Labour needs a grassroots movement in every community.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">&#8220;Our plummeting membership figures prove the top-down model has failed. The answer is to democratise, open up, and empower members.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 dPVOKT\">\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">Meanwhile, the Green Party says it has seen a surge in membership since Zack Polanski took over as the party&#8217;s new leader in September, rising from around 70,000 to more than 180,000.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">The Conservatives do not routinely publish their membership figures.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">Some 131,680 members were eligible to vote in last year&#8217;s Tory leadership election but reports suggest the party&#8217;s membership has fallen to around 123,000 since then.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">The number of Liberal Democrat members has also dropped, <a target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/cy5069p70x2o\" class=\"sc-f9178328-0 iCaRzc\" rel=\"noopener\">almost having over the last five years to around 60,000<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">Your Party &#8211; the new left-wing outfit founded by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana &#8211; says it has 55,000 paid-up members.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 GunZh\">\n<div data-testid=\"image\" class=\"sc-5340b511-1 cMIbKV\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.files.bbci.co.uk\/bbcdotcom\/web\/20251203-121739-f954f14c69-web-2.35.1-2\/grey-placeholder.png\" class=\"sc-5340b511-0 gUePlo hide-when-no-script\" aria-label=\"image unavailable\"\/><img sizes=\"(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/240\/cpsprodpb\/6133\/live\/2bce6ee0-0b00-11f0-97d3-37df2b293ed1.png.webp 240w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/320\/cpsprodpb\/6133\/live\/2bce6ee0-0b00-11f0-97d3-37df2b293ed1.png.webp 320w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/6133\/live\/2bce6ee0-0b00-11f0-97d3-37df2b293ed1.png.webp 480w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/640\/cpsprodpb\/6133\/live\/2bce6ee0-0b00-11f0-97d3-37df2b293ed1.png.webp 640w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/800\/cpsprodpb\/6133\/live\/2bce6ee0-0b00-11f0-97d3-37df2b293ed1.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1024\/cpsprodpb\/6133\/live\/2bce6ee0-0b00-11f0-97d3-37df2b293ed1.png.webp 1024w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1536\/cpsprodpb\/6133\/live\/2bce6ee0-0b00-11f0-97d3-37df2b293ed1.png.webp 1536w\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/6133\/live\/2bce6ee0-0b00-11f0-97d3-37df2b293ed1.png.webp\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Thin, red banner promoting the Politics Essential newsletter with text saying, \u201cTop political analysis in your inbox every day\u201d. There is also an image of the Houses of Parliament.\" class=\"sc-5340b511-0 hLdNfA\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>#Reform #claims #members #Labour<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Becky MortonPolitical reporter&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3086,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[242],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3085"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3085"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3085\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3086"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3085"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3085"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3085"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}