Reform UK's new faces seek to share spotlight with Farage

"That was evident at this week's conference, where the party's four MPs had a busy schedule of prominent speaking slots, alongside lesser-known figures the party wants to promote. The party is keen to get away from the idea that it is a one-man-band - or "the Nigel show", as long-time Farage ally Gawain Towler puts it. That was fair criticism a year ago, says Towler, but not now as more of its new recruits are getting out into "Tellyland"."

"Westminster councillor Laila Cunningham is one such hopeful. She seems to be everywhere you turn in Birmingham, popping up on three panels, including two appearances on the main stage. A lawyer and former prosecutor, who defected from the Conservatives to Reform UK in June, she says she entered politics to improve outcomes for the victims of crime. A Conservative supporter since a teenager, Cunningham says she was a "huge fan" of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher."

"Reform wants to gain significantly more seats in councils and parliaments across the country in the coming years, and its lead in national opinion polls suggest that ambition is not unrealistic. But to increase Reform UK's electoral footprint, the party will need a lot more candidates willing to join its ranks. The party conference is good opportunity to thrust some of these hopefuls into the spotlight to see how they perform."

Reform UK has relatively few senior elected politicians and relies heavily on leader Nigel Farage's household-name profile. The conference featured the party's four MPs in prominent slots alongside lesser-known figures the party aims to promote. The party intends to shed its one-man-band image by pushing new recruits into media and public roles. Reform UK seeks significantly more council and parliamentary seats and leads national opinion polls, but expanding its electoral footprint requires many more willing candidates. Laila Cunningham, a former Conservative and prosecutor, is a prominent recruit and a potential mayoral hopeful focused on victims' outcomes.

Read at www.bbc.com