Advance UK

Last updated

Advance UK
Leader Ben Habib
FoundersChristian Russell, Richard J. Shaw, Mohammad Sohail [1]
Founded30 June 2025
Split from Reform UK
Headquarters69-73 Theobalds Road, London, WC1X 8TA [2]
Membership (September 2025)37,000 [3]
Political position Far-right [4] [5]
SloganOur Future Together
House of Commons
0 / 650
Councillors [6]
1 / 18,645
Website
https://www.advanceuk.org.uk/

Advance UK (formerly the Integrity Party) is a far-right political party in the United Kingdom led by Ben Habib, the former Deputy Leader of Reform UK. The party was publicly launched in 2025, following Habib's departure from Reform UK in November 2024 due to internal disagreements and a fallout with Nigel Farage and Zia Yusuf.

Contents

Background

Ben Habib had reportedly fallen out with Nigel Farage after his removal as deputy leader of Reform in July 2024. [7] [8] In reaction, Habib stated his intention to form a party to the right of Reform. [8]

In April 2025, Habib assumed control of the Integrity Party, a legal identity registered with Companies House in November 2024, stating that he intended to make sure it was properly organised prior to registration. [9]

History

Pre-registration

On 30 June 2025, Habib announced online that he was launching a new political party, Advance UK, and set a target of 30,000 members before registration. [8] The limited company behind the Integrity Party was renamed as Advance UK Party Limited. [5]

That same day Restore Britain, a far-right pressure group, was established by another former Reform UK member, independent MP Rupert Lowe.

In July, Richard Inman – an event organiser for prominent far-right [10] activist Tommy Robinson and a former UKIP National Executive Committee (NEC) member – joined Advance UK. [11] In early August, Tommy Robinson announced he was joining the party, in a video recorded before he left the country after he was accused of committing assault in late July. [12] [13]

On 26 August, Elon Musk declared his support the party, stating "Advance UK will actually drive change. Farage is weak sauce who will do nothing". [14] Habib himself said that Musk had urged him to set up a party earlier in 2025. [15]

Later that month, Advance UK announced that four former parliamentary candidates for Reform, and one former branch chair, were defecting. [16]

Habib speaking at the far-right Unite the Kingdom rally, 13 September 2025 HabibUTK.jpg
Habib speaking at the far-right Unite the Kingdom rally, 13 September 2025

At Tommy Robinson's 'Unite the Kingdom' rally in London on 13 September 2025, Advance were listed as a sponsor. [17] [18] Habib was a speaker at the rally, which saw an estimated turnout 110,000 to 150,000. [19] [20]

Habib told The Observer, there was no longer a division between right and left in UK politics, but between "those who believe in global principles and so-called liberalism, and those who actually believe in a nation state, borders and sovereignty". [17]

On 18 September, the Electoral Commission published notices that Advance UK was seeking political party registration. [21]

Launch

Advance UK's launch in Newcastle, 27 September 2025 AUKlaunch.jpg
Advance UK's launch in Newcastle, 27 September 2025

The party was due to hold an official launch event at the Crowne-Plaza Hotel in Newcastle upon Tyne on 27 September. However, after online criticism, the hotel management cancelled the booking on "health and safety grounds", according to Newcastle City Council. [22] Habib told supporters on Twitter that the party would still launch in Newcastle. [23]

In October, a planned Advance meeting at Wootton Bridge Community Centre was reviewed by the Charity Commission over alleged political activity. [24] 100 attended, including Sarah Morris, a former candidate for Isle of Wight East in 2024. [25]

Ideology and policy

Sean O'Grady of The Independent described the party as occupying the 'far-right fringe' and 'quite possibly' extremist. [5] The Evening Standard, [26] The Guardian, [4] The National [27] and other news outlets [28] [29] have also described it as 'far-right'. The Daily Mirror defined it as 'hard-right'. [30]

The Spectator [31] and The Telegraph [32] have more broadly labelled it 'right-wing'. Suzanne Breen in the Belfast Telegraph referred to the party as right-wing. [33] The Joseph Rowntree Foundation described Advance UK's founding conference in the North East as 'a troubling development' and described the party as right-wing. [34]

In the Financial Times , Anna Gross wrote that Habib was working to prevent Nigel Farage from winning the next UK general election, and that the more hardline Advance UK could take votes from those who consider Farage too moderate. [7] Further, Alex Kane of The Irish News suggested that Advance was 'in danger of becoming an anti-Farage party rather than a genuine alternative to Reform.' [35]

In April 2025, Habib announced that the Integrity Party would pursue 'laissez-faire policies'; abolish quangos created under Tony Blair, and enact "Liz Truss style" tax-cuts. [9]

Advance declares principles such as sovereignty, freedom of speech, democracy, and equality before the law. It also stands for "Christian constitutional values" and rejects the influence of institutions such as the United Nations, the World Health Organization and the World Economic Forum. [8] [36]

Habib, who previously signed the Reform UK-TUV pact, told the News Letter that he "hopes anything his new party does in Northern Ireland will be with the TUV". He also asserted that "Farage doesn't stand" for the Acts of Union. [37]

Patrick English, director of political analytics at YouGov, said Advance UK "certainly might have the potential to be disruptive but they'll need to work very hard to find people capable of fronting it". [38]

Organisation

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. [8] [5] The arrangement has been described by Sean O'Grady in The Independent as complicated and likely to lead to internal friction. [5]

Advance UK's party structure. AUKstructure.jpg
Advance UK's party structure.

Among the list of announced members of the college include Katie Waissel and Howard Cox. [15]

In a Sky News article discussing right-wing and extreme bias on Twitter, Habib described the platform as vital for Advance UK. He also stated all of the party's membership had come from Twitter, podcasts, YouTube, and other social media platforms. [3]

Nation.Cymru reported that the party's Welsh branch was led by former inmate Richard Taylor, who previously stood for the Brexit Party in 2019, and Abolish the Welsh Assembly Party during the 2021 Senedd election. [28]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "ADVANCE UK PARTY LIMITED people - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  2. ↑ "ADVANCE UK PARTY LIMITED overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 24 September 2025.
  3. 1 2 "How the world's richest man is boosting the British right". Sky News. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
  4. 1 2 Grierson, Jamie (15 September 2025). "Who were the key figures at the Unite the Kingdom rally in London?". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 O'Grady, Sean (30 June 2025). "How does Rupert Lowe's Restore Britain differ from Reform UK?". The Independent. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  6. ↑ Alexander, by Rachel (19 November 2025). "Ex-Tory councillor in Walsall joins right-wing Advance UK party". Birmingham Live. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  7. 1 2 Gross, Anna (29 August 2025). "Can a UK party backed by Elon Musk outflank Nigel Farage on the right?". The Financial Times. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Self, Josh (30 June 2025). "Ex-Reform deputy launches new party to rival Nigel Farage". Politics.co.uk. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
  9. 1 2 Hazell, Will (24 April 2025). "The new right-wing party that wants to put Farage's Reform out of business". The i Paper. Retrieved 24 April 2025.
  10. ↑ Sherwood, Harriet; Quinn, Ben (1 November 2024). "He's like a gangster': How Tommy Robinson became leader of Britain's far right". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
  11. ↑ "Top 'Tommy Robinson' organiser joins Ben Habib's Advance UK". Searchlight. 4 July 2025. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
  12. ↑ Peters, Tony (3 August 2025). "Tommy Robinson joins Ben Habib's Advance UK | Searchlight" . Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  13. ↑ Frayne, James (4 August 2025). "Tommy Robinson is the perfect enemy for Nigel Farage" . The Telegraph. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 5 August 2025.
  14. ↑ "Elon Musk launches fresh attack on 'weak' Nigel Farage". The Independent. 26 August 2025. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  15. 1 2 Holl-Allen, Genevieve (27 August 2025). "Revealed: Elon Musk urged Farage rival to set up new party". The Telegraph. ISSN   0307-1235. Archived from the original on 27 August 2025. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  16. ↑ Gross, Anna (29 August 2025). "Can a UK party backed by Elon Musk outflank Nigel Farage on the right?". Financial Times. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
  17. 1 2 "Prepare for revolution now, Elon Musk tells London rally as police come under attack". The Observer. 14 September 2025. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
  18. ↑ "Britain's Biggest Far-Right Protest: More than 100,000 attend Tommy Robinson's Unite The Kingdom Rally". Hope Not Hate. 13 September 2025. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
  19. ↑ "Dozens of officers injured as up to 150,000 join Tommy Robinson rally". BBC News. 13 September 2025. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  20. ↑ "Elon Musk tells Tommy Robinson protest 'violence is coming' in call for change in UK government". The Independent. 13 September 2025. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  21. ↑ "Current applications to update party registrations | Electoral Commission". www.electoralcommission.org.uk. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
  22. ↑ "'Advance UK 'will still launch' despite hotel block'". BBC News . 25 September 2025. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  23. ↑ "Hotel cancels launch event for Tommy Robinson-backed political party". The Independent. 24 September 2025. Retrieved 24 September 2025.
  24. ↑ https://www.countypress.co.uk/news/25538656.ben-habib-responds-criticism-wootton-bridge-meeting/
  25. ↑ "ADVANCE UK FOUNDER BEN HABIB TELLS ISLANDERS: 'BRITAIN CAN BE GREAT AGAIN'". Isle of Wight News - Island Echo. 21 October 2025. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
  26. ↑ Howe, Megan (27 August 2025). "Elon Musk backs Tommy Robinson and blasts Nigel Farage as Reform pledges deportations". The Standard. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
  27. ↑ "Hotel cancels launch event for new far-right party backed by Tommy Robinson". The National. 24 September 2025. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
  28. 1 2 Mansfield, Mark (14 August 2025). "Far right party linked to 'Tommy Robinson' allowed to promote itself at Welsh Show". Nation.Cymru. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  29. ↑ "Elon Musk Re-Ignites Farage Feud With Attack On His Mass Deportation Plan". HuffPost UK. 27 August 2025. Archived from the original on 27 August 2025. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
  30. ↑ "Shameless Musk shows support for Tommy Robinson after reigniting Farage feud". The Mirror. 27 August 2025. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
  31. ↑ Heale, James (1 July 2025). "Can these Farage rivals' start-ups hurt Reform?". The Spectator. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
  32. ↑ "Hotel owned by Labour council cancels new Right-wing party's event". www.telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
  33. ↑ "Why Nigel Farage could be a headache for unionist parties in Northern Ireland". 27 October 2025. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 18 November 2025.
  34. ↑ "Beyond the flags: grief, polarisation and the work of repair | Joseph Rowntree Foundation". www.jrf.org.uk. 26 September 2025. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
  35. ↑ Kane, Alex (19 September 2025). "Alex Kane: Will Nigel Farage get lucky and complete the revolution?". The Irish News. Retrieved 24 September 2025.
  36. ↑ "'Weak sauce': Elon Musk reignites public spat with Nigel Farage". euronews. 27 August 2025. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
  37. ↑ "Former Reform chief Ben Habib sets up new party to take on Nigel Farage - with endorsement from Elon Musk". Belfast News Letter. 1 July 2025. Retrieved 24 September 2025.
  38. ↑ Gross, Anna (29 August 2025). "Can a UK party backed by Elon Musk outflank Nigel Farage on the right?". Financial Times. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
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