Suspended Reform UK member vows to fight to remain in party
Political commentator Tim Montgomerie has vowed to fight his suspension from the Reform UK party. He claims his public criticism of party leadership was intended to strengthen the party and that his suspension raises questions about the party's tolerance for free speech.
Why it matters
This highlights internal power struggles and ideological tensions within the UK's growing Reform party as it attempts to transition from a protest movement to a mainstream political force.
By Iain Watson , Political correspondent and Yang Tian Published 11 minutes ago Political commentator Tim Montgomerie has told BBC Newsnight he will fight his suspension from Reform UK for criticising senior party figures in media interviews.
He said his appeal against suspension would be a test case of whether Reform could tolerate free speech.
The party said Montgomerie had been suspended in line with its rules after public criticism he made.
Montgomerie is a right-of-centre political commentator who defected from the Conservatives to Reform UK in 2024, and who has seen himself as a critical friend of the party leadership.
But it seems he is now regarded as more of a critic and less of a friend - and has had his party membership suspended.
On Friday, Montgomerie had told the BBC he was frustrated by party leader Nigel Farage's "aggrieved tone" after last week's Clacton by-election.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in