Tech groups have criticised the far-right Reform Party conference’s limited focus on business policy, as the once-fringe party leads opinion polls in the UK.
The conference, which took place on Friday and Saturday, followed a bruising year for the governing Labour Party which has been hit by a number of U-turns on key policies and internal turmoil.
Reform has built momentum on the back of its anti-immigration platform and is increasingly looking like the main opposition.
But tech leaders have told Sifted the conference showed the party has a way to go to seem like a serious government-in-waiting.
"This was clearly a conference about politics, not policy,” says Riccardo Tordera-Ricchi, director of policy at The Payments Association, a fintech trade body. “Reform has huge work to do if it wants to become credible, from a business perspective.”
Limited tech focus
The conference comes as Reform hit record levels in opinion polls in the UK. 34% of voters said they’d back the party in a general election compared to just 25% for Labour in June, according to a poll by market research firm Ipsos.
The tech sector is taking notice. A survey of founders by The Entrepreneurs Network in June found that, while below national levels, 11% of respondents said they’d back the party if an election was called.
But at the conference, tech and business had little billing, attendees tell Sifted. There were just two tech-related speeches and panels — both focused on crypto, and sponsored by crypto startups US-based Zebec Network and British company Aave Labs.
There were also few business sponsors, and tech policy didn’t feature in any of the fringe events, aside from one on crypto, says Jordan Sullivan, head of economic policy at lobby group Startup Coalition.
Reform has previously talked up the industry, promising a “crypto revolution” in the UK and echoing pro-crypto moves from US president Donald Trump.
“Nonetheless, it was positive to see some panels dedicated to the crypto industry and Zia Yusuf’s acknowledgment of the imminent necessity to work on a proper stablecoins framework to push UK issued stablecoins,” says Tordera-Ricchi.
Few tech founders and executives were at the conference in a personal capacity, but lobby groups including TechUK joined both Startup Coalition and The Payments Association. A number of tech-focused PR agencies were also present.
One agency told Sifted many clients debated attending extensively but decided against it this year, highlighting the reputational risks companies still weigh in publicly backing the far-right party.
“Many tech lobbyists were at the event, so I expect if Reform keeps this momentum in the polls then next year we will see more fringe events specifically focused on technology,” says Sullivan.
He adds that Zia Yusuf, the head of Reform’s department for government efficiency and an exited founder himself, also showed an interest in tech — and spoke about the need for the party to have an “AI tsar”.
“He spoke on the need to tackle energy prices to support the UK AI industry and celebrated our AI talent pools,” Sullivan adds.
Turmoil in government
Reform’s conference began on Friday in high spirits as crisis engulfed the government following deputy prime minister Angela Rayner’s resignation after she was found to have breached the ministerial code in underpaying tax on a second home.
Prime minister Keir Starmer took it as an opportunity for a major reshuffle of key ministers.
Tech secretary Peter Kyle took up a new role as business minister, in a move widely considered a promotion. Work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall was shuffled into the open vacancy.
Cybersecurity firm Darktrace founder Poppy Gustafsson also stepped down from her role as investment minister, less than a year after taking up the position.
Reform has been approached for comment.
