Jordan Bardella to Speak at Reform UK Conference in Birmingham

Jordan Bardella, 30-year-old president of France’s National Rally (RN) and Member of the European Parliament, will address Reform UK’s party conference in Birmingham next week. His team confirmed he will travel to the event on Friday and hold a joint press conference with Reform leader Nigel Farage. The appearance is intended to strengthen ties between the French far-right and the British anti-immigration party ahead of Marine Le Pen’s presidential bid in the spring of 2027.

The Guardian

Marine Le Pen, RN’s parliamentary leader and former party head (2011-2021), launched her presidential campaign this summer despite a Paris appeal court upholding her conviction for involvement in the embezzlement of more than €2.8 million (£2.4 million) in European Parliament funds between 2004 and 2016. Le Pen has appealed the ruling to France’s highest court. Bardella has previously met Farage; the two held a private lunch in London at the end of 2023, where they discussed anti-immigration policy. Bardella has advocated tighter police cooperation on Channel crossings and the return of migrants to their countries of origin rather than to France.

The Guardian

He added that the two leaders are preparing “future cooperation” and expressed hope that Farage could become Britain’s next prime minister. Farage, re-elected in a recent Clacton by-election, has faced a reopened standards investigation over a £5 million personal gift from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne and additional support from convicted fraudster George Cottrell.

The Guardian

• “Nigel Farage is a great patriot, he has fought all his life to defend his country’s independence, freedom and sovereignty,” — Jordan Bardella

The Guardian

The joint appearance signals an attempt by two prominent European far-right figures to coordinate immigration-restriction strategies across national borders. If successful, the cooperation could influence policy debates in both France and the United Kingdom ahead of the 2027 French presidential election and the next UK general election, while also drawing scrutiny from opponents of far-right collaboration.

The Guardian