Engage with Reform or risk being ‘sidelined’, education chiefs told

University leaders have been encouraged to engage more seriously with Nigel Farage’s Reform UK amid the party’s continued rise in support.

As of 4 August, YouGov polling suggests that 28% of people intend to vote for Reform in the next UK general election – seven percentage points more than Labour, and 11 more than the Conservatives.

The party is riding on a popularity high following its success in this year’s local elections, which saw the outfit gain control of Warwickshire County Council.

Senior university figures are being urged to stop ‘burying their heads in the sand’ when it comes to changes in the electoral landscape

Reform is also expected to make significant gains in next year’s Welsh Senedd elections, with some polling even indicating the party may unseat Welsh Labour, who have been in power since devolution began in 1999 – a further indication of its growing political power.

In response, senior university figures are being urged to stop “burying their heads in the sand” when it comes to changes in the electoral landscape.

Dewi Knight, Director of PolicyWISE and a former advisor to the Welsh government, has emphasised the importance of considering and engaging with Reform policy positions, commenting that while “we might not expect Reform to be in government […] they would clearly be an influential opposition group”.

The party has a range of divisive plans for higher education, including the tackling of what it calls a rise in “woke ideology” through policies such as penalising universities which allow for “political bias or cancel culture”, legislating for two-year undergraduate courses, and imposing restrictions on post-study visas for international students and minimum university entrance standards.

Institutions must learn the lessons from the Brexit referendum – where the sector’s perceived elitism and detachment ended up alienating swathes of the electorate

Diana Beech, Director of the Finsbury Institute, City St George’s

Diana Beech, Director of the Finsbury Institute at City St George’s, University of London, argued that tertiary education should learn lessons from recent political events.

“Institutions must learn the lessons from the Brexit referendum – where the sector’s perceived elitism and detachment ended up alienating swathes of the electorate”, Beech said.

She added: “This time, universities must engage constructively with Reform UK and its supporters, even if they disagree with the party’s platform.”

While ongoing financial pressures are consuming universities and triggering mass lay-offs, recent government actions, including the imposition of large fines for the violation of free speech and academic freedom, have had a significant impact on campuses across Britain.

However, the focus has been on ongoing monetary issues, leading to a neglect of the proactive changes which may be necessary for higher education institutions to better reside within a legislative environment dictated by Reform policies.