As Reform UK — the right-wing, anti-immigration party led by Nigel Farage — gains traction in UK-wide and Welsh polls, questions are intensifying around the party’s views on LGBTQ+ rights.
A recent YouGov and ITV Wales poll shows Reform surging ahead in the Senedd (Welsh Parliament), with support rising by four points to 29 per cent, pulling nearly level with Plaid Cymru. Labour, meanwhile, has seen its support drop to 14 per cent.
According to YouGov’s latest MRP polling model, Reform UK would also become the largest party at Westminster if an election were held now, winning a projected 271 seats — up dramatically from the five seats won in the 2024 general election.
But what does Reform UK stand for when it comes to LGBTQ+ people? Critics say the party’s record — and that of its leader — paints a disturbing picture of exclusion and regressive social policy.
Pride Flags Banned by Reform Councils
After the May local elections, Reform UK — which now controls 10 councils across England — announced a ban on flying the Pride flag on public buildings in those areas.
A statement from then-chairman Zia Yusuf said:
“No other flags will be permitted to be flown on its flagpoles, balconies, reception desks or council chamber walls.”
A party spokesperson added:
“Reform UK will proudly fly the Union Jack, St George’s flag and county flags. Unlike Labour, we are proud of our country and history.”
Anti-LGBTQ+ Remarks by Reform Members
In a widely shared video, a Reform supporter named George Jones was filmed calling the Pride flag a:
“fking degenerate flag,”
adding:
“They should be out catching nonces, not promoting the f***s.”
The Party Manifesto: “Our Contract With You”
Reform’s policy platform — titled “Our Contract With You” — includes several explicitly anti-trans positions.
In the section on education, the party claims:
“Transgender indoctrination is causing irreversible harm to children.”
It pledges to:
- Ban all “transgender ideology” in schools
- Prohibit gender questioning, pronoun use, or social transitioning
- Mandate that parents be informed about their under-16s’ gender-related decisions
- Require single-sex toilets and changing rooms in schools
This approach is repeated elsewhere, including a promise to legislate single-sex facilities in public buildings.
Reform also links gender identity and Critical Race Theory to censorship, stating:
“Social media giants that push baseless transgender ideology and divisive Critical Race theory should have no role in regulating free speech.”
Attack on Equality and Diversity Laws
Reform pledges to dismantle major diversity policies across public institutions:
“We will scrap Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DE&I) rules that have lowered standards and reduced economic productivity.”
It also proposes to overhaul the 2010 Equality Act, claiming it “requires discrimination in the name of ‘positive action’.”
What Do Reform Voters Think?
Polling data suggests that 69% of Reform UK voters do not support allowing trans people to change their legal gender via a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC).
Yet, on same-sex marriage, 65% of Reform supporters say they are in favour of allowing it — a viewpoint not shared by party leader Nigel Farage.
Nigel Farage’s Anti-LGBTQ+ History
Farage has repeatedly expressed opposition to LGBTQ+ rights throughout his political career, from UKIP leadership to the present day.
Same-Sex Marriage
In 2014, he said:
“I do not support same-sex marriages… while we’re under the auspices of the European Court of Human Rights.”
He claimed a debate could only happen once the UK was out of the EU.
In July 2025, Farage reiterated:
“I didn’t support [equal marriage]. I thought it was wrong to introduce it to the public without even putting it in a manifesto.”
He added:
“The civil partnership arrangement we had was actually working equitably and fairly.”
Just two months later, he criticised same-sex relationships again, saying:
“The most stable relationships tend to be between men and women.”
“Maybe not my example, but the most stable relationships, the ones that last the longest, tend to be between men and women.”
On HIV and Immigration
In 2019, Farage said people living with HIV should be barred from entering the UK, claiming the country was:
“Incapable of treating people with the virus” due to immigration.
Rewriting History on Section 28
Farage has also claimed that Margaret Thatcher brought “real advancement for gay people,” despite the Section 28 law passed under her government, which banned the “promotion” of homosexuality in schools.
He later dismissed Section 28 as:
“Something done because she feared extreme left-wing elements within the teaching unions.”
Summary: Reform UK’s LGBTQ+ Stance
As Reform UK rises in the polls and eyes a possible future in government, its track record on LGBTQ+ issues remains deeply concerning:
- Bans on Pride flags
- Anti-trans school policies
- Attacks on diversity laws
- A leader opposed to marriage equality
- Party rhetoric framed around “indoctrination” and “degeneracy”
While polling suggests that some voters support same-sex marriage, Reform’s official platform — and Farage’s own views — place the party on a clear anti-LBGTQ+ trajectory.
As the next general election looms (expected by 2029), LGBTQ+ communities and allies may be forced to weigh not just economic and immigration policies, but social protections as well.
