Reform UK bans, admits, then bans MEE journalist from party conference

Party conference season is a defining fixture of British political life.

At these grand annual events, political parties gather their rank and file activists, refresh their visions and try to project energy, vitality and momentum to the country they hope to lead.

This last point is why British political parties attract and admit the press. Conferences are nationally important events, after all, and so a party is traditionally expected to give access to accredited journalists, including those who have reported unfavourably or critically on it.

Doing so demonstrates a party's commitment to free speech, debate and scrutiny - the very stuff of democratic politics.

Reform UK, however, has a different approach.

Currently second in the national polls, and a serious contender to be the next party of government, Nigel Farage's party will hold its conference from Thursday to Saturday this week. Days before the conference was set to begin, however, Reform decided to reject my application for a press pass, before accepting it and then rejecting it once again. 

I was left feeling faintly dizzy.

I am Middle East Eye's UK Political Correspondent. I attended the Reform conference last year and wrote about the merry affair in some detail. I was also a member of the press at last year's Labour, Liberal Democrat and Green Party conferences.

It's worth noting that I had applied for a press pass at this year's Reform conference back in July.

This Tuesday, however, I received an email from Reform in the evening saying: "Thank you for your media accreditation application for the Reform UK 2026 National Conference. Unfortunately, on this occasion, your application has been unsuccessful."

I shook my head but accepted my fate. I had my Birmingham hotel booking and train tickets cancelled. 

Schrodinger's reporter

Then, early on Wednesday afternoon - less than a day later - a wholly unexpected email landed in my inbox. It was from Reform again and said: "We're looking forward to welcoming you to Reform UK National Conference 2026 at the NEC Birmingham this Friday and Saturday. Your Media Conference Pass is confirmed" - followed by details of the conference schedule. 

Could it be true? I wondered. Was Reform indeed a paragon of democracy and the freedom of the press? Or was it a bureaucratic error? Which email was right?

I was Schrodinger's Reporter, simultaneously rejected and accepted. But I dared to hope.

The hotel was rebooked, the train tickets resecured - but with a dash of caution; they were refundable. Still, as far as I was concerned, Birmingham and the Reform conference awaited.

Until two hours later, when I received a third email. This one was radically different in tone and said: "Unfortunately, you do not meet the criteria and your application has been rejected."

By this point I was starting to suspect Reform didn't want me at the conference. Or did they?

Perhaps it was a series of random errors, or maybe Mr Farage's party was moving back and forth with extraordinary speed between hugely different approaches towards the press and democratic politics.

I emailed the party asking what "criteria" I had failed to meet. I received a polite email which didn't answer that question but said that Email Number Two (my favourite) had been a technical error.

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Still recovering from this psychological rollercoaster, I discovered I had company in the field of rejected-accepted-rejected journalists.

The prominent broadcaster and writer Michael Crick wrote on the social media platform X that he too had been sent contradictory emails. "Clearly Reform are in brilliant shape to run the country," he remarked. "Maybe they're worried I might talk to party members."

It soon emerged that the Guardian’s City editor, Anna Isaac, and the investigative reporter Peter Geoghegan were banned too.

But I am certain there are more of us out there. We could form a society.

There is no evidence this was why I have been banned from the conference, but I should note that I have previously reported for MEE on Reform's close ties with the United Arab Emirates.

Reform is now being widely criticised online over an alleged disdain for democratic norms. Its critics say the party's conduct is especially worrying since it has a serious chance of governing Britain, a country with a great tradition of a free press and vibrant political debate.

Personally, though, I will reserve judgement. After all, I might get another email tomorrow morning welcoming me to the conference.