Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has accused Nigel Farage of “fakery” over claims that Reform UK membership has surpassed that of the Conservatives, making it the second largest political party in the UK.
Ms Badenoch said Reform’s counter was “coded to tick up automatically”, but Mr Farage said he would “gladly invite” a firm to “audit our membership numbers” as long as the Conservatives do the same.
The row comes after a digital counter on the Reform website showed a membership tally before lunchtime on Boxing Day ticking past the 131,680 figure declared by the Conservative Party during its leadership election earlier this year.