Laurence Fox is a former actor and musician who since 2020 has carved out a career as a radical right provocateur and aspiring politician. His views came to attention following an appearance on BBC’s Question Time in 2020, when he dismissed the idea that racism played a part in media hostility towards Meghan Markle. He soon capitalised on the controversy that followed, launching a career as a commentator and establishing the Reclaim Party that year, which he dubbed as a “UKIP for the culture wars”.

Fox’s political ambitions have been dogged by administrative issues and derisory election results. In 2021, he received just 1.9% of the vote in the London mayoral election, despite the endorsement of Reform UK and a significant media profile, and in 2023 he pulled in just 2.3% in the Uxbridge by-election. Fox’s attempt to run for London mayor in 2024 ended when his nomination paperwork, entered moments before the deadline, was deemed invalid due to errors. He was ultimately able to contest the London Assembly election but lost his deposit after winning just 0.5% of the vote. The spring election was one of Fox’s many embarrassments last year. In April, he was ordered to pay £180,000 to two people he had libelled by referring to them as paedophiles on X.

He also has a media career as a commentator, but was sacked from his GB News job in late 2023 after a misogynistic rant against the journalist Ava Santina. Since then, he has taken to posting increasingly inflammatory messages on social media. After the Southport stabbings, he said: “We need to permanently remove Islam from Great Britain.” He furthermore declared “war” against Keir Starmer and “immigrant barbarians” before leaving the country to go on holiday in Cork, Ireland.

There are significant doubts about the viability of Reclaim going forward. The party is exclusively bankrolled by pro-Brexit businessman Jeremy Hosking, who has donated £4.6 million to date.

Reclaim Party Ltd, the private company that controls the party, was almost struck off by Companies House at the start of 2024 after failing to file its accounts, and Fox has stated that the leaders of Reform UK and the SDP have both approached Hosking to solicit his support and abandonment of Reclaim.