Farage rally attracts thousands after difficult week for Reform UK

The lights dimmed in the vast hall of National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham.

The walls had been decked with giant Union Flags and a crowd of thousands was waiting to see their political hero.

And then Nigel Farage walked out to what is the largest political rally of this campaign.

Spark machines sprayed around him as he made his way onto the stage.

This was his home turf – playing to devoted fans who rose to their feet again and again in delight at his speech.

But this has been a difficult week for him and his party.

They have had to suspend three candidates after offensive remarks, taking up the total tally to four people who will appear on the ballot paper as Reform UK but are no longer welcome in the party.

Then late last week, Channel 4’s undercover filming apparently showed volunteers making deeply offensive comments. Mr Farage has claimed one of those filmed was a ‘plant’ but Channel 4 has stuck by its story.

And to cap it all off, on Sunday a Reform UK candidate announced he was defecting from the party to back the Conservatives citing “a significant moral issue within certain elements of the party” and the “failure of the party’s leadership…to fundamentally address it”.

ITV News has contacted the party for a response to that latest development.

Farage admitted to me earlier today that it had been a “tough” period but denied he was losing momentum.

“I’m actually quite bullish for what happens in the next 5 days” he said, “do you know what we’re going to surprise you all.”

I asked him why so many people who have said offensive things are attracted to his campaign and to him.

“Ironically because the BNP is not there you are going to get one or two people on that wing try to come to us," he told me.

“It’s because they’ve got nowhere else to go."

The rally also heard from a new face on the Reform UK scene, that of Zia Yusuf.

He is a 37-year-old Muslim entrepreneur who is now financially backing the party, apparently to the tune of six figures.

This was the first time he has been at a reform rally and he seemed to impress this crowd – certainly one to watch over the coming years.

The catchphrase of Farage’s election campaign has been “something is happening out there”.

After a week that has seen the party tested like never before, we will soon find out whether that statement will be backed up on polling day.

Have you heard our podcast Talking Politics? Every day in the run-up to the election Tom, Robert and Anushka dig into the biggest issues dominating the political agenda…