Reform UK civil war brews as Nigel Farage snubbed by former ally Ben Habib

Ben Habib appeared to downplay Nigel Farage's role in Reform UK's successes in the General Election, after the ex-deputy leader laid into the populist party's plans to "democratise" the leadership.

Speaking to GB News, Habib, who was replaced as Deputy Leader by Richard Tice in July, appeared to suggest he and his successor were behind Reform's strong performance at the ballot box, which saw the party win five seats in Parliament - in a subtle sign that a civil war is brewing within the party, which held its annual conference on Friday.

"I see my future right now, in the present and in the near future as the conscience of Reform," he told the outlet. "I live and breathe Reform.

"I've put my lifeblood into it. Over the last couple of years, Richard [Tice] and I took it, when I joined, from six per cent to 16 per cent. That's how Richard and I delivered the five MPs in office."

Farage was seen by pollsters as having played a pivotal role in Reform's surge among voters, which saw the party receive over four million votes on July 4 - far more votes than the Liberal Democrats or the Greens.

Only days before Farage announced his return as leader and plans to stand in his Essex constituency, YouGov estimated Reform's national support to be at around 10 percent.

The party then went on to capture 14.4 per cent of the vote. Mr Habib, a former Brexit Party MEP, also stood in the election as the Reform candidate for Wellingborough, but it was held by the Tories.

It comes as Habib also launched a strident attack on the party's new constitution - rejecting Farage's suggestion that it would give members the power to boot him out as leader.

On Thursday, Farage the MP for Clacton-on-Sea announced he was "relinquishing" control of the party as he gives up his majority shareholder position in Reform UK Ltd, which unlike is a registered company, most other political parties.

The constitution has been drawn up by chairman Zia Yusuf, who, in an email to members, said: "As our leader Nigel Farage has promised, this constitution democratises our party. It empowers you, our members, to have your say on both a local and national level.

"This constitution is one we can be proud of, one fit to be the constitution of the party of the next government of the United Kingdom."

But, Mr Habib, who remains a member, told Express.co.uk he wasn't convinced by the rhetoric. "There are two things which are of great concern," he explained.

"First, and this cannot be underestimated, is the fact the chairman claimed on national television that the 'finest legal minds were working day and night' to draft a constitution.

"What emerged was a rehash of a document I rejected in February 2023. Changes made were not significant in number, badly drafted and increased the democratic deficit. This document had not had any serious legal scrutiny."

Mr Habib, who also questioned the approach in a video on X, added: "Second and this too cannot be underestimated, the document is a mess and does not create checks and balances on the leadership.

"Nor does it give members a genuine democratic voice or the ability to remove the leader. The leader is protected by a handful of people, the board, who are mostly appointed by him. They can reject any plea by members to remove him."

Mr Habib claimed he could have drafted "a better and more coherent document" without any legal advice, and said in successful organisations leaders are held to account.

"If there are no checks and balances and no way to remove them, they will certainly fail," he told us.

Outlined his vision for the future of the party yesterday, Farage said: "Reform UK has come of age. I am giving up control of the party to its members."