Reform UK has unveiled billionaire property developer – and former Conservative donor – Nick Candy as its treasurer, with the job of raising big money to fight the next general election.
It is the latest in a series of announcements by Nigel Farage’s party aimed at showing it is serious about winning power.
Candy, who is married to Australian singer and actress Holly Valance, who also supports Reform, made his money by buying and renovating properties with his brother Christian.
The pair were privately educated, and bought their first property in London in 1995, using a £6,000 loan from their grandmother. They have never disclosed their wealth, but describe themselves as “self-made billionaires“.
The property tycoon was close to former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, donating more than £270,000 to the party under his leadership and attending the then-PM’s wedding.
Now he says Farage could win the next general election – and is promising to raise “tens of millions” for Reform UK, telling journalists he will donate a “seven figure sum” of his own cash as well.
“This country needs change and I believe the person to make that change is Nigel Farage and I believe he’ll be the next prime minister of this country,” he said as he was unveiled to the cameras at Westminster.
Elon Musk has expressed interest in Candy’s appointment, amid speculation the billionaire owner of X is looking into offering Farage’s party a large donation.
Candy said he and Musk exchanged messages following the announcement on Tuesday morning, but the new Reform UK treasurer refused to be drawn on any negotiations.
When he was quizzed about the Donald Trump-supporting tycoon, Farage said: “We don’t know anything about Elon Musk other than he is supportive of our position.”
But he joked: “If people offer us money legally, we’ll take it.”
Businesses or individuals have to be registered in the UK to donate to a political party, raising questions about how the South African-born US citizen could give money to Reform.
Farage denies Reform UK is becoming a party of millionaires and billionaires, saying the fundraising drive is about getting on an “even financial footing” with the other main parties.
“If we do that we will achieve extraordinary things,” he added.
As well as cash, Reform UK has been gaining valuable contacts in Westminster.
Last week former Johnson adviser Tim Montgomerie, a veteran Tory commentator who founded the influential Conservative Home website, announced he was defecting to the party, citing immigration as a policy failure he could not forgive.
Farage has a patchy record when it comes to high-profile signings. In his former life as UKIP leader he managed to fall out with figures such as TV personality Robert Kilroy-Silk, Tory defector Douglas Carswell and former EU auditor Marta Andreasen, shortly after unveiling them amid much fanfare.
But he has also managed to attract wealthy backers in the past, such as insurance tycoon Arron Banks, who bankrolled his Brexit campaign.
He is positioning Reform UK as the party for voters hungry for change – a platform Labour won a landslide election victory on just over five months ago.
But Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to make difficult and unpopular decisions at the start of his premiership, along with a number of unforced errors, has seen Labour’s popularity plummet, as Reform’s has risen.
Reform UK sits comfortably in third place ahead of the Liberal Democrats in national opinion polls, and is narrowing the gap with the two main parties.
The fledgling party proved incapable of transforming the size of its support into seats at Westminster in July.
The Liberal Democrats won 3.5 million votes and 72 MPs through their highly-targeted campaign, whereas Reform UK picked up just over four million votes, but only five seats.
Farage is on a mission to learn from the Lib Dems how to make Westminster’s first-past-the-post voting system work for his party.
Reform UK’s new multi-millionaire chairman Zia Yusuf has taken on the job of “professionalising” the party – no easy task when it has attracted so much controversy in its short life with its choice of candidates in particular.
Farage has faced questions over James McMurdock, the Reform MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock, who has a spent conviction after assaulting his girlfriend in 2006.
The party has said it was aware of the previous conviction when McMurdock was selected as a candidate, and believes “strongly that people can change their lives”.
But Reform UK is pledging to vet candidates more thoroughly ahead of next year’s local elections in an attempt to avoid embarrassment.
One target is the new mayoral seat in Greater Lincolnshire, where former Conservative MP Andrea Jenkyns has been revealed as the party’s candidate.
Reform has so far been seen largely as a threat to the Conservatives – but on the day after the general election, Farage made their strategy clear when he declared: “We’re coming for Labour”.
The big parties will be watching Reform UK’s recent flurry of announcements nervously – and wondering whether they can keep this momentum up.
This article was originally published at www.bbc.com
