Benyamin Naeem Habib (born 7 June 1965) is a British politician and businessman who serves as the leader of Advance UK. He is also the chief executive officer of First Property Group, a commercial property investment and fund-management company.[1]
After graduating, Habib became an analyst in the corporate finance department at the now-defunct financial services firm Lehman Brothers in 1987.[13][14] In 1989, he was appointed the finance director at the insurance broker PWS Holdings.[15][14]
In 1994 Habib entered the properties business as the managing director of the private property development company JKL Property, before starting his own property fund company, First Property Group plc, six years later.[15] The company, for which he is the chief executive operates in Britain, Poland, and Romania.[16][17]
Political career
Habib was a Conservative Party voter and donor.[4][5] He supported Brexit in the 2016 membership referendum and argued the UK's trade opportunities would be better outside the European Union (EU), that being part of the EU meant that the UK had ceded sovereignty, and that there needed to be greater control of immigration.[13][18] He had also discussed in interviews how uncertainty around Brexit could be an opportunity for profit for his business.[19][20]
In February 2020 Habib published multiple articles where he described the Protocol as being a unique advantage to Northern Ireland business that would help the province grow into a tiger economy. He also recommended Unionists should not resist its implementation and instead "make it work for its own great benefit and that of the United Kingdom".[25][26]
In March 2023 he was made a co-deputy leader of Reform UK (previously the Brexit Party) party with David Bull, who had been deputy since 2021.[27][28] At the same time he became the party's Brexit and the Union spokesman. He was the party's candidate for the Wellingborough by-election in February 2024. Habib finished third of eleven candidates, with 13% of the vote, the party's best result at a by-election.[29][30] He was again candidate for Reform in the new Wellingborough and Rushden constituency at the 2024 general election where he came third with 21.5% of the vote.[31]
In April 2024, during an interview with Julia Hartley-Brewer, Habib suggested that some migrants travelling to the UK by boat should be left to drown.[32] Habib later said that his comments came in the context of an interview in which he was asked what should happen if migrants repeatedly slashed their boats, causing them to sink. Habib stated: "If people are going to repeatedly throw themselves in the channel and refuse the help of our specialised force in order to get back in the boats and go on to France – of course their lives are going to be in danger."[33]
In July 2024 Habib and Bull were removed as the deputy leaders of Reform UK and replaced by Richard Tice.[citation needed]
Habib quit Reform UK on 28 November 2024, citing concerns over the party's structure as well as "fundamental differences" with the party's leader, Nigel Farage, over Brexit, and disagreements over immigration, with Habib in favour of "mass deportations".[34]
In March 2025, Habib called Reform MP Rupert Lowe's suspension "an injustice". Habib accused Farage and Reform UK chairman Zia Yusuf of "trumping up complaints against" Lowe to oust him after Elon Musk suggested Lowe should become Leader of Reform UK instead of Farage. Habib called for both men's resignations.[35][36]
In April 2025, Ben Habib announced he would be taking over the Integrity Party, which had been created by Christian Russell and Richard J. Shaw in 2024.[37] Habib stated that he intended to make sure the party was properly set up and organised before applying to the Electoral Commission for registration.[38]
On 30 June 2025, Habib announced that he had launched a political party, Advance UK. He aims to reach 30,000 members.[39] 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.[40][bettersourceneeded]
Legal challenge against the Northern Ireland Protocol
Previously Habib as an MEP, voted for the Withdrawal Agreement [41] and also wrote various articles supporting it[42][43]
In June 2021, the High Court of Northern Ireland (HCNI) in Belfast dismissed the legal challenge on several grounds, including that it is in conflict with the Acts of Union 1800 and thus unconstitutional.[45][46] The HCNI ruled that although the Protocol conflicted with the Acts of Union the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020 also has constitutional effect and had implicitly repealed aspects of the Acts.[47] The court also rejected arguments based on the Northern Ireland Act, the European Convention on Human Rights and European Union law. Likewise, the court rejected a challenge to the Regulations, which provided that the consent mechanism in the Protocol was not to be subject to the cross-community voting rules in the Assembly.[48] On 14 March 2022, that decision was affirmed by the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal, with the judgment making reference to the "obvious inconsistency" of Habib first voting in favour of the Withdrawal Agreement and Northern Ireland Protocol, as stated in paragraph 11 of his sworn affidavit, but then subsequently calling for a repudiation.[49][50]
On 30 November 2022, they appealed to the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.[51] On 8 February 2023, the Supreme Court agreed with the previous courts and dismissed the challenge.[52][53][54] On 21 March 2023, it was confirmed by Northern Ireland Office minister Lord Caine (in a written reply to a question submitted by Kate Hoey) that the UK Government had spent a total of £196,567 on legal fees associated with defending the court challenges against the Northern Ireland Protocol.[55][56]
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