Recent ethnographic research has identified a wide range of policies that Reform UK voters (in seats won by Labour in 2024) would like to see introduced if Reform UK were in government. The following is a list of the 20 most popular, excluding immigration controls.
- A massive programme of council house building to reduce rents and housing waiting lists.
- Public ownership of water companies to stop sewage dumping and improve infrastructure.
- Breaking up monopoly energy firms and creating a publicly owned energy provider.
- Free school meals for all primary school children.
- A windfall tax on excessive profits made by large oil and gas corporations.
- Stronger workers’ rights, including banning zero-hours contracts unless requested by employees.
- Mandatory NHS dentistry provision in every county with government intervention where services collapse.
- Free social care for elderly people funded through general taxation.
- Limits on second-home ownership in rural and coastal communities suffering housing shortages.
- A British sovereign wealth fund using North Sea and renewable energy profits for public investment.
- Tougher action against tax avoidance by multinational corporations and offshore wealth holders.
- Re-nationalisation of the railways under a single publicly accountable operator. (This one will be in place before the next general election).
- Large-scale investment in vocational training, apprenticeships, and technical colleges instead of university expansion alone.
- A legal right to see an NHS GP within a guaranteed timeframe.
- Price caps on essential utilities during periods of national crisis or inflation spikes.
- Higher taxes on foreign ownership of UK residential property.
- State-backed low-interest loans for first-time buyers and struggling families.
- Community ownership models for pubs, post offices, and vital local services in declining towns.
- Electoral reform to reduce the dominance of Westminster’s two-party system.
- Strict lobbying and anti-corruption laws banning former ministers from immediately joining major corporations after leaving office.
Many of these policies combine economic populism, nationalism, consumer protection and anti-elite sentiment—themes that often resonate strongly with Reform UK voters even if they originate from the political left or centre-left.
The problem for Reform UK voters is that not one of them is a Reform UK policy.
Reform UK’s actual policies are the following.
Immigration & Asylum
- Freeze “non-essential” immigration
- Restrict foreign students from bringing dependants
- Higher National Insurance rate on foreign workers
- Offshore processing for illegal arrivals
- Deport foreign offenders immediately after release
- “Zero illegal migrants” resettled in the UK
- Leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)
Economy & Tax
- Corporation tax relief for small businesses
- Raise VAT registration threshold from £90k to £150k
- Abolish business rates for many SMEs
- Introduce a 4% online delivery tax on large firms
- Raise the income tax personal allowance to £20,000
- Reduce corporation tax to 15%
- Raise inheritance tax threshold to £2 million
- Raise stamp duty threshold to £750,000
- Reverse tax changes affecting landlords
Energy & Climate
- Scrap the UK net zero target
- End many green subsidies
- Oppose bans on petrol and diesel cars
- Oppose Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs)
- Oppose London’s ULEZ expansion
NHS & Health
- Increase NHS spending by £17bn annually
- Greater use of private healthcare providers
- Tax relief for private healthcare insurance
- Explore insurance-style healthcare systems similar to France
Education
- Ban what it calls “transgender ideology” in schools
- Ban “critical race theory” in schools
- Inform parents about children’s gender-related decisions
- 20% tax relief on private school fees
- Scrap student loan interest
- Tougher discipline and more exclusions for disruptive pupils
Social Policy
- Replace the Equality Act
- Scrap diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) initiatives
- Royal commission on adult social care
Transport & Infrastructure
- Scrap the remaining HS2 rail project
- Ban LTNs and oppose ULEZ
- Remove the planned 2035 ban on new petrol and diesel cars
Housing
- Higher stamp duty threshold
- Maintain current no-fault eviction framework
- Support smaller landlords through tax changes
Media & Culture
- Scrap the BBC licence fee
- Review the Online Safety Act
- Inquiry into social media harms
Notice the difference? Reform UK’s policies largely benefit the rich and powerful and are regressive, not progressive.
Therefore, the research suggests that the vast majority of Reform UK voters would be left severely disappointed should Reform UK ever get to be in government.
The overriding conclusion is that when we see people covered in union flags on the telly or in the media more generally, shouting for Farage and his billionaire-funded party, we must remember that there are many who want a return to the days of old when England had communities, council houses, family shops, cash, where you could see a GP quickly and an NHS that gave quality, swift care.
Equally, there are legions of pissheads who simply want a day out with the lads, get hammered on the train or coach and forget how they got home….
You get what you vote for.
