Nigel Farage tells voters in Newton Aycliffe Reform is ‘here to stay’

Mr Farage returned to the region today (Tuesday, April 15) to lead the party’s local campaign ahead of the key poll to determine the political future of Durham County Council. 

Telling voters ‘Britain is broken’ and ‘Reform will fix it’ the party claims people living in Northern ‘red wall’ seats are furious with the Government and that the country is going in the wrong direction.

Mr Farage told campaigners at Newton Aycliffe Working Men’s Club: “Today’s the first day I’ve said that but I absolutely mean it, and we’re here, and we’re here to stay.

“And the evidence is that people who are switching to us, this is not a short-term protest. They actually believe in us.”

New polling from Survation highlights Reform’s rise in the North – and suggests the party is likely to perform well in May. The pollster predicted Reform will receive 29 per cent of the vote share in council areas with elections next month – the highest of any political party. The party said it is attracting Labour voters throughout the North East. 

Mr Farage lauded the recent polling for his party and the “astonishing progress” Reform UK has made, adding “our support is coming directly from people who have been, in many cases, life-long Labour voters”.

He said the ‘red wall’ would be replaced by a “turquoise wave” in key battleground regions across the North and Midlands. 

Reform UK campaigners and candidates joined Nigel Farage at the event in County Durham on Tuesday. (Image: Sarah Caldecott)

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The keynote speech was preceded by an address from Ashfield’s Lee Anderson, who left the Conservative Party for Reform in 2024, and noted the similarities between County Durham and his native Nottinghamshire. 

“The Labour Party used to stick up for the working classes in areas like Durham. It doesn’t speak to these people anymore.”

He lamented the state of communities today, saying they have become “run-down, lost industry, high streets packed up, and pubs have closed.”