Published: 4th August 2025 | The English Chronicle Desk
Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, has once again sent political shockwaves across Westminster with the dramatic announcement of another high-profile defection from the Conservative Party. In a press conference held this morning at Reform’s new offices in Millbank Tower, Farage unveiled that Rupert Matthews, the sitting Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner for Leicestershire, has joined his party, marking a major symbolic victory in Reform UK’s intensifying campaign on crime and public safety.
Describing the event as “the most significant moment of our crime campaign so far,” Farage stood flanked by newly appointed justice advisers and senior party officials as he detailed a sweeping vision of reforming the UK’s failing criminal justice system. Rupert Matthews’ defection represents a major strategic win for Farage, both because of Matthews’ experience in law enforcement administration and because it further weakens Conservative morale during a time of deep internal turbulence.
Reform UK’s ongoing crime-focused campaign has been gaining momentum over the past several weeks, underpinned by public disillusionment with mainstream parties and the growing perception that traditional approaches to policing and justice have failed. Matthews’ decision to break ranks with the Conservatives—after serving as their police commissioner—underscores the gravity of that sentiment.
Meanwhile, the appointment of Vanessa Frake, a former prison governor and respected author, as Reform UK’s new justice adviser, has added intellectual weight and policy clarity to the party’s law and order narrative. Speaking on Times Radio, Frake did not hold back in her criticism of past governments, stating unequivocally that successive administrations had “failed miserably” in dealing with the root causes of crime and rehabilitating offenders. She argued that prisons today have become places of warehousing, producing more dangerous criminals upon release due to inadequate management, minimal rehabilitation, and lack of proper resources.
Frake emphasized that short-term sentencing, while often politically convenient, actually damages an offender’s chances of reintegrating into society. “People lose their homes, their families, and their mental health support. We release them into nothing, and they return to crime,” she said, pointing to the need for better community-based services and post-prison support mechanisms.
On the death penalty, Frake took a pragmatic stance, stating that she does not believe capital punishment is the solution to violent crime. Instead, she called for a more responsible and systemic overhaul of the justice system, including better identification and management of high-risk offenders.
Farage’s press conference was not without controversy. Labour’s Jess Phillips launched a scathing attack on Reform UK over its pledge to repeal the Online Safety Act, claiming that such a move would effectively empower “modern-day Jimmy Saviles.” Phillips echoed Technology Secretary Peter Kyle, who had earlier accused Farage of siding with extreme pornographers by opposing the law, which mandates that online platforms prevent children from accessing harmful and abusive material.
Farage, however, remains steadfast in his opposition to the legislation, arguing that it undermines freedom of speech and curtails open debate in the digital age. He has insisted that such laws risk empowering bureaucratic overreach and digital censorship, especially when applied without transparency or meaningful public oversight.
Despite the criticism, the Reform UK leader appears buoyed by growing public support and has positioned his party as a credible, uncompromising alternative to what he calls the “institutional failure” of both Labour and Conservative governments. With multiple defections in recent months, growing grassroots energy, and a sharpened focus on public safety, Reform UK is poised to become a pivotal force in the political landscape heading into the next general election.
As the press conference concluded, Farage hinted at more revelations to come in the days ahead, vowing that Reform UK will continue to press its advantage by exposing what he described as the “empty rhetoric and failed policies” of the establishment. Whether this surge will translate into votes remains to be seen, but few can now deny that Reform UK’s law and order campaign has moved from the political fringes to the centre of national debate.
