Politics class: Property magnate Nick Candy joins Reform UK in latest Tory defection

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Specification:

• AQA Component 3.1.2.3: Political parties: policies of minor parties and their impact on political debates and political agenda

• Edexcel Component 1, Section 2.3: Emerging and minor UK political parties

Background: what you need to know

The appointment of wealthy entrepreneur Nick Candy as Reform UK’s treasurer is the latest in a series of high-profile defections from the Conservative party. The article gives other indications of the growing success of this minor party: Reform UK overtook Labour in one recent opinion poll and is just two points behind the Conservatives. It now has five MPs and 100,000 members — giving its leader, Nigel Farage, grounds for optimism about the future.

However, the First Past the Post electoral system makes it hard for small parties to break the two-party monopoly. In addition, Reform UK has some way to go if it is to overcome the perception that it is a one-man show for Farage. A key test will be how well it performs against the Conservatives in the May 2026 Scottish and Welsh Parliament elections.

Click the link below to read the article and then answer the questions:

Property magnate Nick Candy joins Reform UK in latest Tory defection

Question in the style of AQA Politics Paper 1

• Explain and analyse three ways in which minor parties have had an effect on UK politics. [9 marks]

Question in the style of Edexcel Politics Paper 1

• Evaluate the view that minor parties are of limited significance in UK politics. You must consider this view and the alternative to this view in a balanced way. [30 marks]

  TIP: You need to compare the fortunes of Reform UK with at least one other minor party. See, for example, this review of the Green Party’s performance in the July 2024 general election: Greens secure four seats in best-ever UK result

Graham Goodlad, Portsmouth High School