Reform UK has seen a major boost in the 7 May local elections, with more than 300 additional councillors elected to local government. The result comes as Labour suffered a dramatic decline, while the Conservative Party also recorded losses.
Following Reform UK’s success, some supporters have called for a general election and demanded Labour be removed from government. However, the next general election is not scheduled to take place until August 2029.
While the Prime Minister has the power to call an election before then, Keir Starmer told BBC News he is “not going to walk away from those challenges and plunge the country into chaos”.
But, hypothetically, if a general election were held and Reform UK’s support remained at current levels, what could that mean for LGBTQ+ people?
The answer is deeply concerning.
Reform UK’s LGBTQ+ policies
Reform UK’s manifesto, titled Our Contract With You, directly targets what it calls “‘woke’ ideology”, with particular focus on so-called “transgender indoctrination”.
In the opening statement, party leader Nigel Farage says: “Divisive, ‘woke’ ideology has captured our public institutions. Transgender indoctrination is causing irreversible harm to children.”
The manifesto’s education section pledges to “ban transgender ideology in primary and secondary schools” within the party’s first 100 days in government.
“No gender questioning, social transitioning or pronoun swapping. Inform parents of under 16s about their children’s life decisions. Schools must have single sex facilities,” it reads.
The manifesto also promises to “mandate single sex spaces”.
“Public toilets and changing areas must provide single sex facilities,” the policy states.
Reform UK also says it would “review the online safety bill”, adding: “Social media giants that push baseless transgender ideology and divisive Critical Race theory should have no role in regulating free speech.”
Equality protections under threat
In February 2026, Suella Braverman said that, if voted into power, Reform UK would remove key equality structures from government.
“On day one, we will get rid of the equalities department, we will scrap the equalities minister … and we will repeal the Equality Act,” she said.
Braverman continued: “We are going to work to build a country defined by meritocracy not tokenism, personal responsibility not victimhood, excellence not mediocrity, and unity not division… The Britain that I love is being ripped apart by diversity, equality and inclusion.”
Reform UK’s manifesto repeats that approach in its section on “Common Sense Policing not ‘Woke’ Policing”.
It states: “Scrap all Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DE&A) roles and regulations to stop two-tier policing.”
A later section adds: “The Equalities Act requires discrimination in the name of ‘positive action’. We will scrap Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DE&I) rules that have lowered standards and reduced economic productivity.”
Although the manifesto focuses most explicitly on transgender people, the impact would likely be felt across the wider LGBTQ+ community.
Farage’s comments on same-sex marriage
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has previously said that legalising same-sex marriage was “wrong”.
Speaking on LBC in 2025, Farage said: “It is a settled issue. I didn’t support it. I thought it was wrong to introduce it to the public without even putting it in a manifesto. I was very surprised that David Cameron did that. I thought the civil partnership arrangement that we had was actually working equitably and fairly.”
Same-sex marriage is not directly mentioned in Reform UK’s manifesto. However, the party’s website says it will “defend and protect British culture and traditions”.
It states: “Religious freedom is a core feature of our culture, but our culture is built upon Christian values. Those will be protected and celebrated.”
While some Christian denominations conduct same-sex marriages, others, including the Church of England, do not.
For LGBTQ+ people, Reform UK’s rise raises serious questions about the future of equality protections, trans rights, inclusive education, and public policy in the UK.
