Farage’s Angels: Have women become Reform’s secret weapon?

It was a huge decision – one she did not take lightly, but for Saffron Sims-Brydon, it felt right. Having previously supported the Conservative Party, the 22-year-old decided to switch allegiances, and become a member of the rapidly growing Reform Party in October 2024. 

‘I couldn’t keep blindly following a party that no longer stood up for personal responsibility, national sovereignty or transparent government,’ Saffron explains to Metro. ‘Reform offered something I hadn’t felt in years, clarity and conviction. It wasn’t about careerism or convenience. It was about finally standing somewhere that aligned with what I believe, where questioning the status quo isn’t punished and where aspiration isn’t managed down.’ 

She added that she felt the party’s ‘image’ hasn’t matched her experience: ‘In Reform, I don’t feel less listened to because I’m female. 

‘When young women don’t follow the expected political path, critics question the party rather than taking us seriously.’ 

Saffron may not be the typical Reform voter, but support for the party amongst Gen Z women has rapidly increased in more recent months. Their vote share amongst women aged 18 to 26 shot up last year — jumping from 12% to 21%  after nationwide local elections, according to polling for the More in Common think tank. 

Reform revamp

The increased market share may be because Reform has undergone something of a rebrand. Having previously faced criticism for being ‘a boys club’ (after the 2024 General Election, Reform had five MPs, all men), the party is now putting its female members and supporters front and centre. 

The typically ‘macho’ construct that leader Nigel Farage has fostered for himself as a pint-swilling, fag-smoking ‘man of the people’ has taken a backseat. Following a by-election in May (after a Labour MP punched a constituent) Sarah Pochin, a former Conservative, is now Reform’s member of parliament for Runcorn and Helsby and the most senior woman in the party. 

Meanwhile, Reform boasts numerous female councillors working on a more local level. 

 Saffron is now a councillor for Derwent and Pont Valley. Former beauty queen Charlotte Hill, 25, is now the Reform councillor for Melbourne in Derbyshire. Elsewhere, Sienna Churcher, the 18-year-old representative for Barrow in Cumbria, has been touted as a ‘rising star’. 

Reform’s most high-profile ‘supporter’ in the Gen Z demographic? Bonnie Blue, the 26-year-old sex worker and former OnlyFans content creator famous for her extreme sexual stunts. 

‘I am not knowledgeable about politics, but I do know the UK is very messed up,’ she wrote in an article for The Spectator last month. ‘The tax system is terrible and it’s smart to leave if you have money. There are too many people here, we are too accommodating, and it is causing problems. 

‘Reform has sensible positions on immigration and inheritance tax, so I stand with Nigel Farage.’ 

What’s behind this shift in young voters?  

‘All parties are courting female votes, as they won’t win without them,’  explains Dr Aaron Winter,  Senior Lecturer in Sociology at Lancaster University and co-author of Reactionary Democracy: How Racism and the Populist Far Right Became Mainstream. 

‘Reform are trying to signal to a certain type of white British person that they are the victims of social, cultural, political and economic change. While it used to focus more on men, there’s been a shift to the heteronormative, white family.’ 

Dr Winter adds that populist right-wing parties, as well as more extreme far-right groups, are talented at identifying fears and exploiting them for wider gain.  

An example he references are the protests outside of hotels in areas such as Epping, where asylum seekers were being temporarily housed, as well as ongoing uproar against grooming gangs where the perpetrators are Asian males. This narrative of protecting children and women’s safety can be enticing, particularly to those who may feel scared (Sarah Pochin has voiced Reform’s positioning on this, saying at the party conference: ‘We are the only party that are speaking out about what needs to be done to protect women and children from the ever increasing number of illegal migrants living in our community.’) 

The power of women

‘This has been described as “femonationalism”, particularly in the context of Islamophobia, where the notion of “protecting women” has xenophobic connotations,’ Dr Winter explains. ‘We saw this with protests outside of hotels, with some young women taking their children along. It can make views that are quite extreme seem legitimate and “protective.”’ 

Having young women voice these sorts of views, rather than the stereotype of the red-faced ‘gammon’, can make some of the more divisive views of the right wing seem more palatable, Lois Shearing, author of Pink-Pilled: Women and the Far Right, tells Metro. 

‘There’s a benevolent sexism around white women, who have a halo effect and being seen as soft, kind and loving,’ they explain. ‘Women can “get away with” more violent rhetoric; as women are seen as less dangerous. 

‘It makes their language appear as coming from a place of nurturing rather than hatred. That’s how women are used and why motherhood is so valued in the far right. You’ll see women saying quite hateful things but they’re perceived to be doing it because they’re “a mother bear” protecting their babies.’ 

Unsurprisingly, Saffron disagrees that Reform’s policies are racist, or that women are being used as pawns in a political battle.  

‘Reform’s position is about legality, enforcement, and protection. If certain failures in immigration control or asylum processing are creating conditions where women and girls are put at risk, then politicians have a duty to say so and act on it. 

‘Pretending those issues don’t exist helps no one, least of all vulnerable women.’ 

Saffron also signals towards Reform’s policies aimed specifically at women: ‘Their family policies, like front loaded child benefits and flexible tax allowances, are practical and actually help parents balance work and childcare,’ she says. 

‘They also take a clear stance on schools to protect girls’ wellbeing, which a lot of parents really appreciate. For me, what stands out is their focus on keeping women safe, supporting families and giving people real choices in their daily lives.’ 

In addition to Reform’s policies, Saffron points towards the ongoing economic climate for Gen Z. Young people face an increasingly bleak future; last year,  Fortune reported 1.2 million UK graduates were competing for only 17,000 roles, highlighting a severe entry-level job crisis. Elsewhere, younger generations also report feeling ‘locked out’ of homeownership – land registry data in England shows that the average house price now costs £286,594 – nearly six times higher (£50,679) than three decades ago. 

Looking for alternatives

It’s of little surprise, then, that young people are deserting both the Labour and Conservative parties for alternatives. Tellingly, the Green Party’s Zack Polanski, who is offering more left-wing, socialist policies, has also seen a surge in popularity in Gen Z voters. 

Historically, research has shown that in times of economic hardship, more extreme positions are considered. Using data from 1870 to 2014, a study investigated the political consequences of economic crises and found that they typically lead to stronger political support for parties on the right of the political spectrum. 

‘Young women are constantly told what we’re supposed to look, feel, think. But when you actually listen to us, the concerns are basic and unavoidable,’ Saffron adds. ‘Gen Z women turning to Reform aren’t extremists. We’re realists. We want lower taxes on work, homes we can afford, services that function and an end to waste and cronyism. Reform talks about money the way people who actually have to earn it do. 

‘Gen Z grew up watching institutions collapse and leaders dodge responsibility. When a party says the system is broken and means it, people listen.’ 

Across the pond

While the assumption may be that women tend to be more left-leaning, they can be conservative by their own volition – the ‘shock’ results of the 2016 US election saw 53% of white women vote for Donald Trump, according to CNN exit polls.  

Trump also improved his vote share amongst women aged 18 and 29 in the 2024 election; 40% of women in this age bracket cast their ballot for him, a 7% increase since 2020. 

Evangelical Christian women were also more likely to vote for the Trump/Vance ticket last year (Trump has personally shouted out “the beautiful women” from the controversial Word of Faith church at numerous of his widely attended political rallies). 

This popularity amongst evangelical women may have stemmed from the president’s ‘family-based’ policies, seeing the US government giving a $1000 (£742) deposit from the government into an account for babies born between 2024 and 2028, and potentially even honouring women who have six or more children. It’s of little surprise that these sorts of policies would appeal, particularly during a time where tradwives, who espouse a highly traditional heteronormative rendition of the ‘wife and mother’ role, become more popular and influential on social media.  

‘Reform isn’t a lifestyle brand’

Similarly to Trump’s aims, Reform’s plans to honour conservative, family values and heteronormative female roles seem at odds with supporters such as Bonnie Blue, a divorcee who became infamous for her ‘one thousand men’ challenge and other sexual exploits. 

However, for Lois, the OnlyFans star and Reform are more closely entwined than initially thought. ‘The same algorithms that reward the most extreme political takes, the most bombastic political right-wing content, is the same algorithm which is rewarding her sexual challenge content,’ they explain.  

‘The algorithm is a bell-curve. If you are in the middle, you are not  being rewarded in views. You have to go to the most extremes.’ 

Regardless of whether Bonnie Blue fits the sort of female voter that Reform is hoping to court, she has been accepted by the party. 

‘Personally, I’m not a fan of her platform, but that isn’t the point,’ Saffron explains. ‘What her support shows is how broad and diverse Reform’s voting base actually is. People from very different backgrounds, lifestyles and personal choices are finding common ground around the same issues: cost of living, housing, safety and a political system that isn’t working for them. 

‘You don’t have to agree with someone’s life choices to agree on the direction the country needs to take. Reform isn’t a lifestyle brand or a moral club.’ 

As the party’s popularity looks to continue to grow across the political spectrum, the question is, will women continue to be at the forefront?  

Critics have noted that Farage has repeatedly and consistently voted against furthering women’s rights when serving as a Member of European Parliament for the UK Independence Party; in 2015, UKIP failed to support proposals for greater gender equality, including the Istanbul Convention on the prevention and combating of violence against women. He has also drawn extensive criticism for naming accused sex trafficker and rapist Andrew Tate as ‘an important voice for men’. 

However, Saffron says she feels supported and uplifted by Reform since she joined the party. 

‘For younger women and Gen Z, it’s about being heard and feeling part of the conversation,’ she explains.

Meanwhile, Lois believes that the relationship between Reform and women is a performative one; the party is only championing women and girls as it’s politically convenient to do so at the moment: ‘They’re opportunistic,’ Lois insists.

‘They’ll make another group hyper-visible when they feel they need to.’ 

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