Former Tory donor Nick Candy is Reform UK’s latest star defection – and while less famous than other transfers should spark fear among the establishment.
It’s said there’s nothing easier than stealing candy from a baby. Well for Nigel Farage, it appears there’s not much more difficulty in stealing Nick Candy from the Tories.
Mr Candy was unveiled as Reform UK’s latest major defection late last night, and we were just called to a last-minute photoshoot and Q&A outside the Palace of Westminster for Nigel Farage to parade his latest piece of good news.
While Nick Candy is admittedly less of a household name than other recent transfers, such as Dame Andrea Jenkyns or Tim Montgomerie, I would argue this one in particular should scare Labour and the Tories.
Not only has Nigel Farage secured another news story that shows it is Reform with all the momentum in British politics, he has hired someone sorely needed by his insurgent startup – a fundraiser.
Reform UK has achieved remarkable heights in the past six months, winning 14% of the vote at the election – now up to 21% – five MPs and a growing number of councillors.
The billionaire property tycoon is bad news for Reform’s rivals (Image: Getty)
However they have always been hamstrung by money problems.
Unlike Labour and the Tories, Reform hasn’t enjoyed the patronage of either big business figures or trade union cash.
They have survived with a minuscule team paid for by party members, which has now surpassed 100,000.
Nick Candy changes this. He is promising, in Trumpian terms Nigel Farage will be happy with, to “raise Reform more money than any political party in the UK has ever raised – Nigel is going to be the PM”.
While opponents will still hit back that this is an empty promise, this morning outside 4 Millbank I had the opportunity to ask Mr Candy the more pressing question: “Are you putting your hand into your own pocket?”
Mr Candy told me he’s give a ‘seven figure sum’ to Reform (Image: Express)
Mr Candy is a multimillionaire property developer, listed alongside his brother in Estate Gazette’s 2010 rich list as being worth £1.5 billion – I have no doubt that figure has increased in the past 14 years.
He told me that he has given Nigel Farage and Reform a figure in the “seven figures”, a major boost ahead of the new year.
That money can immediately go into either their London operation and hire new staff, or the local field teams beefing up the party’s ground operation ahead of the locals.
Asked about the eternal question of whether Elon Musk will give the rumoured £100 million to the party, the pair notably ignored the questions.
However already the US-based tech multi-billionaire responded on X to the news that it is “interesting”, a promising level of engagement with Reform’s antics if he were thinking about handing over a life-changing sum to the party.
It will be a very welcome early Christmas present for Nigel and his party. This defection, more than a new MP or big name media backer, will have much more damaging long term consequences for the establishment parties.
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