Bigots and conspiracy theorists speaking at Reform UK conference

An aristocrat who described homosexuality as “gravely dangerous” will address Reform UK’s conference this weekend.

Viscount Christopher Monckton is joining Reform’s deputy leader Richard Tice on a panel about net zero. 

In 2021, Monckton told the Traditional Britain Group — a gathering of far-right activists — that homosexuality was “a bad idea”, claiming: “It’s not some abstract theological reason, it kills you and it might kill a lot of other people as well.”

Monckton has been rehabilitated by Nigel Farage, who in the UKIP days sacked him and criticised other homophobic comments he had made as “deeply offensive and fundamentally wrong”. He also spoke at the 2025 conference.

Reform’s conference will host a range of other conspiracy theorists and cranks.

Christian Fellowship for Reform, a fringe event on Friday, has Andrea Williams of Christian Concern, a hardline organisation that campaigns against same-sex marriage. “Sexual union should only take place between a husband and wife – not between two people of the same sex,” Christian Concern’s website says. 

The same event will host Rupert Evans from Right To Life and Simon Calvert from Christian Institute, two organisations that campaign against abortion. Although around 90% of Brits think women should have access to abortions, leaders in Reform have nonetheless chosen to side with the tiny minority of this niche issue as their American allies in the MAGA movement have done.

While Farage once said he would purge the “loopy” elements from his party, Checkatrade founder and tin foil hat wearer Kevin Byrne will be speaking on a panel with Suella Braverman and Lee Anderson on Thursday about “fueling the skills revolution”.

Reform is happy to maintain ties with Byrne, despite the fact he is a fan of anti-Muslim extremist Tommy Robinson and has peddled a variety of wild conspiracy theories. Not only is he convinced that “chemtrails” cause cancer and the Covid vaccine rollout was “the crime of the century”, he even suggested that the Loch Ness Monster is real, writing: “Why the Mass Media haven’t covered it I’ll never know.” 

If Byrne stays for the second day of the conference, he’ll probably enjoy a discussion on Friday afternoon about the World Health Organisation. “The WHO is bankrolled by Bill Gates, and wedded to the Fauci doctrine which allowed China to cover up the COVID lab leak,” reads an event description. “Is it time for Britain to join the United States and Argentina and leave the WHO?” It furthermore states that “the rights of British People” have been put “into jeopardy by signing the WHO Pandemic Agreement”, a claim often made by cranks.

The panel is organised by Action on World Health, which Farage co-founded and currently chairs. It opposes the WHO and regulation on vapes, which caused a scandal in 2024 when it was revealed that Action on World Health’s other co-founder, David Roach (speaking at Reform’s conference) had provided lobbying services to nicotine companies.

Also speaking on the panel is Greg Swenson, a Republican based in London who has campaigned for fracking and chlorinated chicken. He has described abortion as an “epidemic” that has given rise to a culture that is “self-loathing, confused, dying”.