Advance UK
Advance UK | |
|---|---|
| Leader | Ben Habib |
| Founded | 30 June 2025 |
| Split from | Reform UK |
| Ideology | National conservatism[1] |
| Political position | Right-wing |
| Colours | Navy Red |
| Website | |
| https://www.advanceuk.org.uk/ | |
Advance UK is a right-wing British political party led by Ben Habib, the former Deputy Leader of Reform UK. The party positions itself to the right of Reform UK and was launched in 2025 following Habib's departure from the party due to internal disagreements and a reported fallout with Nigel Farage.
History
In 2025, Habib announced he had assumed the leadership of a British political party called the Integrity Party, positioned as politically to the right of Reform UK.[2] The party was created by Christian Russell and Richard J. Shaw in 2024, with Habib taking over as leader in April 2025.[3]
The party was incorporated as a private company limited by guarantee without share capital, and was allowed use of the 'Limited' exemption for its name.[4] The Integrity Party was not registered with the Electoral Commission.[5] Habib stated that he intended to make sure the party was properly set up and organised before applying to the Electoral Commission for registration.[3]
On 30 June 2025, Habib announced that he had launched a political party, Advance UK. He aims to reach 30,000 members.[6] The party has the same legal identity as the Integrity Party, with the limited company previously named as the Integrity Party having been renamed as the Advance UK Party Limited.[7] As of 1 July 2025, the Integrity Party website was redirecting to the Advance UK website.[8]
Profile
Habib, who previously served as a Member of the European Parliament for the Brexit Party and stood as a Reform UK parliamentary candidate in 2024, announced the creation of Advance UK with the stated aim of "saving the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland." The party emphasizes principles such as national sovereignty, freedom of speech, democracy, and equality before the law.
The Party's launch coincided with the announcement of another Reform UK rival, Restore Britain, led by independent MP Rupert Lowe.
Advance UK promotes itself as a democratic and grassroots-driven movement, aiming to recruit what Habib describes as "the brightest and bravest" to shape its policies and candidate slate.[9]
Richard Inman, an event organiser for prominent far-right[10][11][12][13] activist Tommy Robinson, and member of UKIP's National Executive Committee (NEC), announced on 4 July 2025, that he had joined the party.[14]
Ex-Reform members, Richard Taylor and Howard Cox, announced that they had joined Advance UK on 30 June and 7 July 2025, respectively.[15][16]Taylor, who was previously an Abolish the Welsh Assembly and Brexit Party candidate in Wales, resigned as a Reform member in October 2024, over the party not supporting Tommy Robinson.[17][18]Cox, an unsuccessful Reform candidate at the 2024 London mayoral and 2024 general elections, left the party in January 2025 for the same reason.[19][20]
Structure
The party plans to create a 'college' of representatives that will vote for proposed policies, and is intended to guide the party's board of directors and the executive, consisting of the party leaders.[21] The arrangement has been described by Sean O'Grady in The Independent as complicated and likely to lead to internal friction.[22]
See also
- Restore Britain, another Reform UK breakaway group
References
- ^ "Advance UK". Advance UK. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
- ^ Wilde, Gabrielle (16 April 2025). "Ben Habib announces new political party that will be 'on the right of Reform UK'". www.msn.com. Retrieved 24 April 2025.
- ^ a b Hazell, Will (2025-04-24). "The new right-wing party that wants to put Farage's Reform out of business". The i Paper. Retrieved 2025-04-24.
- ^ "INTEGRITY PARTY overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 2025-04-24.
- ^ "Search - The Electoral Commission". search.electoralcommission.org.uk. Retrieved 2025-04-24.
- ^ Self, Josh (2025-06-30). "Ex-Reform deputy launches new party to rival Nigel Farage". Politics.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
- ^ "ADVANCE UK PARTY LIMITED overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 2025-07-01.
- ^ "Moved Permanently". integrityparty.co.uk. 1 July 2025.
- ^ Self, Josh (30 June 2025). "Ex-Reform deputy launches new party to rival Nigel Farage". politics.co.uk.
- ^ "Tommy Robinson: Five Things to Know". Anti Defamation League. 17 January 2025. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
- ^ "Tommy Robinson loses appeal against prison sentence". BBC. 16 April 2025. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
- ^ "He's like a gangster': How Tommy Robinson became leader of Britain's far right". The Guardian. 1 November 2024. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
- ^ "UK far-right activist Tommy Robinson jailed for 18 months". CNN. 28 October 2024. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
- ^ "Top 'Tommy Robinson' organiser joins Ben Habib's Advance UK". Searchlight. 4 July 2025. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
- ^ "Richard Taylor on X". X. 30 June 2025. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
- ^ "Howard Cox on X". X. 7 July 2025. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
- ^ "Richard Taylor on X". X. 3 October 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
- ^ "Welsh far-right activist quits Reform UK as senior figures row about 'Tommy Robinson'". Nation Cymru. 1 November 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
- ^ "Reform UK councillors resign over Farage's leadership". Socialist Worker. 11 January 2025. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
- ^ "Pressure on Nigel Farage as Reform UK councillors resign over his leadership". The Guardian. 10 January 2025. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
- ^ "Ben Habib Launches New Political Party 'Advance UK' with Rallying Cry to Restore British Democracy". conservativepost.co.uk. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
- ^ O'Grady, Sean (30 June 2025). "How does Rupert Lowe's Restore Britain differ from Reform UK?". The Independent. Retrieved 3 July 2025.