Richard Tice condemns Chinese imports while Reform UK merch made in China is on sale
During the opening of Reform UK's three-day conference in Birmingham, deputy leader Richard Tice warned against Chinese buses and goods, urging support for British manufacturing. Yet the nearby merchandise stall offered caps, hoodies and water bottles that were produced in China alongside items from Bangladesh, Pakistan and India. Prices ranged from £5 for pins to £45 for hoodies, with a UK-made Nigel Farage tea towel costing £20. The speech also highlighted the party’s broader business agenda and its leader Nigel Farage’s recent controversies.
Richard Tice launched Reform UK's conference in Birmingham by denouncing Chinese imports, especially a Chinese-made bus on display, and pledged to champion British industry. Paradoxically, the conference shop sold a range of merchandise - caps, pendants, water bottles and pins - that were manufactured in China, alongside products from Bangladesh, Pakistan and India. Attendees could buy caps for £25, hoodies for £40-£45, and a tea towel featuring Nigel Farage for £20, the latter being the only UK-made item.
Tice also emphasized the party’s focus on re-industrialising Britain and supporting domestic steel from places like Scunthorpe. The event comes as Reform UK tries to attract business support while its leader Nigel Farage faces scrutiny over a £5 million gift from crypto investor Christopher Harborne and questions about the party’s defence policy. Farage has defended himself on radio, claiming he is unfairly judged and comparing the scrutiny to attacks on Donald Trump.
How this story developed
- Sep 1 Prime Minister Andy Burnham to Address Commons on First Day Back
- Sep 1 The £4 million gift from Ben Delo, a former BitMEX executive convicted of a U.S. banking-secrecy breach and later pardoned by Donald Trump, accounted for three-quarters of Reform UK’s donations in the last quarter. The party, led by Nigel Farage, raised a total of £5.3 million, less than the £9 million-plus it collected in each of the two prior quarters. No contributions were reported from its other major backer, Christopher Harborne, a British-born crypto entrepreneur now based in Thailand. The British government is set to tighten rules on overseas donors, limiting their gifts to £100,000. Parliamentary officials are probing whether a previously undisclosed £5 million from Harborne to Farage breached declaration rules.
- Sep 3 Burnham announced a plan to extend devolution to all parts of England and to increase public control of utilities.
- Sep 3 At Reform's annual conference in Birmingham, Farage promised a "radical" tax-cut package aimed at low and middle earners and small businesses, alongside a major benefits reduction. He said an emergency budget would fund the cuts and help reduce the national deficit. Meanwhile, policy chief James Orr and aide Dan Jukes were removed from their posts after Channel 4 footage suggested they discussed receiving prohibited foreign funding. The party has launched an internal inquiry while Farage denied any personal wrongdoing.
- Sep 3 Labour moved to refer Reform UK to police over the alleged foreign‑donation breach.
- Sep 4 Bond yields surged to their fastest rise since the 2022 mini‑budget, wiping out £12 billion of fiscal headroom.
- Sep 4 Metropolitan Police began assessing the allegations.
- Sep 4 Farage called the allegations "loose pub talk" as Reform UK opened an internal inquiry and other parties referred the case to police.
- Sep 4 Addressing the conference hall, the Reform leader said “that poor young girl, she looked like she was going to do herself an injury”, before adding “boring, boring, boring”.
- Sep 5 James Orr and Dan Jukes were permanently suspended from their positions after the undercover footage was broadcast.
- Sep 5 Reform now specifies introducing the allowance increase within the first 100 days and provides detailed cost and funding figures.
- Sep 6 Dan Jukes and James Orr resigned pending an internal investigation.
- Sep 6 Burnham pledged to transfer failing utilities into public ownership.
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