Advance UK

For the liberal political party founded in 2017, see Advance Together.

Advance UK
LeaderBen Habib
FoundersChristian Russell
Richard Shaw
among others
Founded
  • 19 November 2024 (2024-11-19) as the Integrity Party
  • 30 June 2025 (2025-06-30) as Advance UK
Headquarters86–90 Paul Street
London
EC2A 4NE[1]
Membership (November 2025)37,000[2]
Political positionFar-right[3][4][5][6][7]
Colours  Red   Blue
SloganOur Future Together
Councillors[8]
9 / 18,645
Website
www.advanceuk.org.uk

Advance UK, formerly the Integrity Party, is a far-right political party in the United Kingdom led by Ben Habib, a former Member of the European Parliament (MEP). The party was founded in 2024, and then re-named and launched in its current form on 30 June 2025. It registered with the Electoral Commission on 4 December 2025.

Habib previously served as the Co-Deputy Leader of Reform UK but left the party in November 2024 over internal disagreements and a falling out with Nigel Farage.

Advance is positioned to the right of Reform UK. The party was involved in the Unite the Kingdom rally in September 2025, and has been supported by Tommy Robinson and Elon Musk.

Background

Ben Habib served as Deputy Leader of Reform UK from October 2023 to July 2024. Habib had faced criticism over a Talk TV interview in April 2024, in which he stated that refugees crossing the English Channel whose boats are sinking "have to suffer the consequences of their actions" and suggested they should "absolutely" be left to drown.[9][10] During the 2024 general election, Habib again contested Wellingborough, placing third with 21.5% of the vote.

In July 2024, he expressed concerns following his removal as Deputy Leader.[11] He also criticised Reform UK's new constitution as "undemocratic".[12] In November 2024, Farage told GB News that Habib had "attacked me more in public than the Labour Party" and had become "very bitter".[13]

Integrity Party

Following the falling-out between Habib and Farage, on 28 November 2024, Habib announced he was quitting Reform UK.[14][15] Habib cited ideological differences with Farage, such as Habib's support for mass deportations, as well as the structure of Reform UK.[14] After leaving, Habib said he wished to create a party that would be to the right of Reform UK.[15] He later stated that Elon Musk had urged him to set up a party in early 2025.[16][17]

In April 2025, Habib announced he would be taking over the Integrity Party, which had been created by Christian Russell and Richard Shaw in 2024.[18] Habib stated that he intended to make sure the party was properly set up and organised before applying to the Electoral Commission for registration.[18]

History

On 30 June 2025, Habib launched the party under a new name "Advance UK", and set a target of 30,000 members before registration.[15] The limited company behind the Integrity Party was subsequently renamed as Advance UK Party Limited.[6] The launch coincided with that of Restore Britain, a far-right pressure group, which was announced Rupert Lowe later that day.[6] In August, prominent far-right[19] activist Tommy Robinson announced that he was joining Advance UK.[20][21] Later that month, four former parliamentary candidates and one branch chair defected from Reform.[22] On 26 August 2025, Elon Musk declared his support for the party, saying: "Advance UK will actually drive change. Farage is weak sauce who will do nothing."[17][23]

At Tommy Robinson's 'Unite the Kingdom' rally in London on 13 September 2025, Advance UK was listed as a sponsor of the event.[24] Habib was a speaker at the rally, which saw an estimated turnout of 110,000 to 150,000.[25][26]

The party had been due to hold an official launch event at the Crowne-Plaza Hotel in Newcastle upon Tyne on 27 September. However, after criticism, the hotel management cancelled the booking on health and safety grounds, according to Newcastle City Council.[27][28] Habib told his supporters on Twitter that the party would still launch in Newcastle.[27]

On 4 December 2025, the party was registered with the Electoral Commission to run candidates in Great Britain.[29] Edward Oakenfull, the party's treasurer, was previously the Reform candidate for Derbyshire Dales in 2024; but was dropped over his comments on the IQ of sub-Saharan Africans.[30]

In January 2026, Durham County Councillor Paul Bean joined the party. Hope not Hate previously suggested this defection would happen in an article published following his suspension from Reform UK over comments made about asylum seekers.[31][32][33]

On 7 February 2026, the party held a conference at the Emmanuel Centre, an evangelical church in London, in which it proposed to suspend all asylum claims and prohibit the Muslim Burqa and call to prayer.[34][35][36] The Emmanuel Centre was criticised by groups including Christians for a Welcoming Britain for hosting what they described as a "far-right political conference".[37]

After Restore Britain was announced as a political party on 13 February, the party stated that it would consider a merger.[36] The idea was later rejected by Habib as he accused Restore of racism and referred to Lowe as a 'dictator'.[38][39]

Nick Buckley, who formerly stood as an independent to be Greater Manchester Mayor, was the party's candidate in the February 2026 Gorton and Denton by-election.[40][41][42] He polled seventh with 154 votes, five votes behind the Official Monster Raving Loony Party candidate.[43]

Ideology and positions

Advance UK has been described by media outlets and journalists as both a far-right[3][4][5][44][6] and a right-wing party.[45][46][47][48] The i Paper has labelled the party as 'nationalist' due to Habib's support for tariffs and the onshoring of UK industries.[49] The Joseph Rowntree Foundation described Advance UK's founding conference in the North East as "a troubling development" and described the party as right-wing.[50] Chetan Bhatt in an article published in Ethnic and Racial Studies outlined how the party was adopting anti-migrant sentiments, and alliances that were promoting racism through themes of migration, crime, and civilisational decline.[51]

In the Financial Times, Anna Gross wrote that Habib was working to prevent Nigel Farage from winning the next UK general election, and that the more hardline Advance UK could take votes from those who consider Farage too moderate.[22] Further, Alex Kane of The Irish News suggested in September 2025 that Advance was "in danger of becoming an anti-Farage party rather than a genuine alternative to Reform".[52]

Habib has stated that Advance UK stands for sovereignty, freedom of speech, democracy, and equality before the law. It also stands for "Christian constitutional values" and rejects the influence of institutions such as the United Nations, the World Health Organization and the World Economic Forum.[15]

Patrick English, director of political analytics at YouGov, said that Advance UK "certainly might have the potential to be disruptive but they'll need to work very hard to find people capable of fronting it".[22]

Elected representatives

As of February 2026, nine councillors represent Advance UK.[8] In January 2026, the party's candidate Alex Stephenson unsuccessfully contested two by-elections in Amber Valley and Derbyshire County Council, polling 161 and 57 votes, respectively.[53][54]

Council Councillors
Amber Valley
2 / 42
Devon
2 / 60
Doncaster
2 / 55
Durham
1 / 98
Sandwell
1 / 72
Walsall
1 / 60

Structure

The party plans to create a 'college' of representatives that will vote for proposed policies, and is intended to guide the party's board of directors and the executive, consisting of the party leaders.[15][6] According to The Telegraph, those recruited for the 'college' include Katie Waissel and Howard Cox.[16][55] Sean O'Grady described the arrangement as 'complicated' and likely to lead to internal friction.[6]

In a Sky News article discussing right-wing and extreme bias on Twitter, Habib described the platform as vital for Advance UK. He also stated that all of the party's membership had arrived via Twitter, podcasts, YouTube, and other social media platforms.[2]

Habib claims to have put £100,000 into the party and said it has raised £600,000 from other sources.[56]

In Wales

Advance UK's Welsh branch was led by Richard Taylor, a previous candidate for the Brexit Party in the 2019 general election, and Abolish the Welsh Assembly Party at the 2021 Senedd election.[44] In December 2025, in an interview with former GB News presenter Dan Wootton, Taylor called for the expulsion of Islam from the UK.[57] He later resigned in January 2026.[58]

Taylor has criticised the new director for Wales, Pete Prosser, and called for Habib to intervene and not stand any candidates in the 2026 Senedd election.[59]

In Cardiff, anti-fascist group Stand Up to Racism persuaded the venue to cancel the Wales launch booking in October 2025.[60] The Brunswick Arms in Swansea was boycotted and sent a petition by local residents, after it hosted a meeting.[61]

In December 2025, in an interview with former GB News presenter Dan Wootton, Taylor called for the expulsion of Islam from the UK.[62]

In Northern Ireland

In July 2025, Habib told the News Letter that he hoped to work alongside Jim Allister and the TUV in Northern Ireland. He said that "Farage doesn't stand" for the Acts of Union.[63]

Aileen Quinton, whose mother Alberta was killed in the IRA's Enniskillen bombing in 1987, is a member of the party's college.[64][55] Suzanne Breen of the Belfast Telegraph reported that the party has 600 members in Northern Ireland, and is preparing to register there.[65] In March 2026, Lorna Smyth, a former TUV candidate, became the regional director in Northern Ireland.[66]

See also

References

  1. ^ "ADVANCE UK PARTY LIMITED people – Find and update company information". GOV.UK. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  2. ^ a b Tosh, Kaitlin; Simon, Michelle Inez (6 November 2025). "How the world's richest man is boosting the British right". Sky News. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
  3. ^ a b Grierson, Jamie (15 September 2025). "Who were the key figures at the Unite the Kingdom rally in London?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  4. ^ a b Howe, Megan (27 August 2025). "Elon Musk backs Tommy Robinson and blasts Nigel Farage as Reform pledges deportations". The Standard. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
  5. ^ a b "Hotel cancels launch event for new far-right party backed by Tommy Robinson". The National. 24 September 2025. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
  6. ^ a b c d e f O'Grady, Sean (30 June 2025). "How does Rupert Lowe's Restore Britain differ from Reform UK?". The Independent. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  7. ^ "Elon Musk Re-Ignites Farage Feud With Attack On His Mass Deportation Plan". HuffPost UK. 27 August 2025. Archived from the original on 27 August 2025. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
  8. ^ a b "Party Totals Archive 2016-25". Open Council Data UK.
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  11. ^ Habib, Ben. "Ben Habib: Farage fired me, but Reform can't be a one-man band". Archived from the original on 6 December 2025. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  12. ^ Savage, Claudia (19 September 2024). "Nigel Farage to give up majority of shares in Reform UK Ltd". The Irish News. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  13. ^ Mata, William (29 November 2024). "Who is Ben Habib and why did he leave Reform?". The Standard. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
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  37. ^ Birrell, Donna (9 February 2026). "Christian venue condemned for hosting 'far-right' political conference". Premier Christian News. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
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  65. ^ Breen, Suzanne (4 December 2025). "Ben Habib rapped over 'move to Republic' jibe at leading Your Party member after Irish unity comment". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. ISSN 0307-1235.
  66. ^ Breen, Suzanne (20 March 2026). "Former TUV candidate Lorna Smyth quits for new political party". Belfast Telegraph.
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