As crowds gathered at the Excel Centre in East London, 2,500 Reform UK members were met with a wall of noise.
London Calling, Up the Junction, and Waterloo Sunset were among the top capital hits that blared through the speakers as attendees waited in anticipation for Nigel Farage and Laila Cunningham to take to the stage.
“London needs Reform” signs were placed on almost every seat in the auditorium
One member was so swept up by “Farage fever” that he left the arena clutching five placards as the excitement reverberated around the never-ending corridors of Newham’s enormous exhibition centre.
However, Reform’s London launch started later than expected, with longer-than-expected queues prompting an almost half an hour delay.
“This is the first time we have someone who can beat Sadiq,” one attendee told GB News as Reform’s London-themed playlist continued ringing in attendees’ ears.
As Reform UK chairman David Bull took to the stage, it became clear members already have their sights on Sir Sadiq Khan.
While the London Mayor isn’t on the ballot on May 7, Reform members continuously booed Sir Sadiq at every opportunity available.
Reform’s London launch started later than expected, with longer than expected queues prompting an almost half an hour delay
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And it didn’t take long for the message to become clear: Reform is firing the starting gun in its bid to topple Sir Sadiq.
Having only been unveiled as Reform UK’s challenger to Sir Sadiq on January 7, the Westminster City Councillor declared: “The first battle for the future of London starts today, but is won on May 7.”
The mother-of-seven added: “These Local Elections are not a side show, they are not low stakes, they are not irrelevant.
“They are the first referendum on Sadiq Khan’s London. And we have to make everyone know that his time is up.”
Laila Cunningham made it clear that May 7 is a huge test for Reform UK
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Mrs Cunningham set her sights on ousting as many of Labour’s 1,089 Councillors as possible.
“Every Labour Councillor that gets elected in May is a vote to keep this disaster going,” the former lawyer declared.
“Every councillor that stays in place is another propping him up while London burns.”
Reform Assembly Members Alex Wilson and Keith Prince, who in 2021 were rivals in Havering & Redbridge, doubled down on the message.
Members swamped the borough stands to help the campaign ahead of May 7
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Mr Prince said: “What we are doing here today really matters. Not just for London, but for the whole country.”
“London will only be lost if we fail to make the effort and campaign heartily for Reform,” Mr Wilson added.
However, it was Mr Farage’s rabble-rousing speech that was the most revealing.
The Reform UK leader made three direct pleas to members to stand on May 7.
Nigel Farage is setting his sights on 2028 already
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Mr Farage said. “I can’t achieve my goals, Laila can’t achieve her goals, none of our candidates who are already there can achieve their goals unless you’re prepared to help us.”
And the same message was echoed again and again by all of the speakers at the Excel Centre.
Reform is searching for more than 1,800 candidates in London alone, significantly more than the one needed to run against Sir Sadiq and 123 needed to stand in every seat up for grabs in City Hall in 2028.
A Reform insider told GB News: “We can’t just have one candidate in each borough. We need whole swathes of candidates. It’s all 32 boroughs.”
It seemed to cut through, with stands for each of London’s boroughs swamped by members after Mr Farage’s curtain-closing speech.
London’s Calling, Up the Junction, and Waterloo Sunset were among the top capital hits that blared through the speakers as attendees waited in anticipation for Nigel Farage and Laila Cunningham to take to the stage
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However, despite facing a torrent of horrific and downright racist abuse on social media, Mrs Cunningham was met by raucous rounds of applause throughout her speech.
You could almost feel the shivers going down Sir Sadiq’s spine just a stone’s throw away in City Hall.
Even before the ex-lawyer and self-styled vigilante mum was unveiled as Reform UK’s candidate, polls suggested support for Mr Farage’s party had surged from just 3.2 per cent in 2024 to 19 per cent.
As time goes on, Reform will hope to eat further into Tory support from the outer boroughs to the Square Mile itself.
Keith Prince defected from the Tories to Reform UK last October
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And, with the Greens emerging as a threat to Labour’s left, Mrs Cunningham could even pull off a remarkable feat by leaving a huge turquoise dent in a firmly Remain city.
However, for now at least, the first task is turning May 7 into a referendum on Sir Sadiq’s mayoralty.
Londoners haven’t voted for a right-of-centre party at a council level since 2006, and before that in 1982.
It might be too much of a task for Reform to contest every single ward in London on May 7, but one thing’s for certain: Reform is here to take the fight to Sir Sadiq in London.