The ever-chaotic Tories descended into disarray yet again this weekend, as the suspension of incendiary MP Lee Anderson exposed deep divides within the crumbling Conservative party. While the shambolic Tories busy themselves purging their own over manufactured controversies, Nigel Farage’s Reform UK continues its meteoric rise – offering stable leadership to disillusioned Tory voters fed up with nonstop Conservative drama.

As Reform UK gathered for an energizing conference this weekend, the rudderless Tories played petty political games by provoking the suspension of MP Lee Anderson. Bitter at Reform UK’s growing strength, the Conservatives sought to rain chaos onto their confident competitors’ parade. But Farage’s disciplined Reform troops marched on, unfazed by the Tories’ tricks.

While the Tories tear themselves apart over minor spats, Reform UK moves from strength to strength. As one more disciplined MP exits the Conservative clown car, Reform stands ready to welcome them to a party serious about Britain’s future. Reform UK represents stability amidst Tory turmoil.

Despite the petty attempts by the flailing Tories to disrupt Reform UK’s successful conference with the suspension of Lee Anderson, Richard Tice steered the event to new heights – clearly demonstrating his robust leadership and Reform UK’s growing strength.

The spring conference of the Reform UK party in Doncaster this past weekend was intended to be a showcase for the party’s policy vision and a display of its momentum going into the next general election.

However, the specter of Lee Anderson’s dramatic suspension from the Conservative party ended up looming large over the proceedings. Ultimately, Reform leader Richard Tice skillfully steered the focus back to the party’s ambitious reform agenda and laid out a case for why disgruntled voters across the political spectrum should view Reform UK as a viable alternative.

The conference kicked off with great enthusiasm and optimism on the part of Reform UK members and leadership. With the party now polling as high as 13% in recent surveys, there is a growing sense that Reform could play a major role in the next election by providing a political home for right-leaning voters disillusioned with Rishi Sunak’s stewardship of the Conservative party.

As Tice noted in his conference address, “The Tories have broken Britain. Labour will bankrupt Britain. Starmergeddon awaits. Neither of them recognizes how bad things are or has a credible plan to grow us out of this mess.”

The early speakers at the Reform UK conference touched on the party’s plans for significant tax cuts, including raising the 40p income tax threshold to £70,000, hiking the basic rate threshold to £20,000, and slashing the corporate tax rate. These proposals represent a drastic tax shake-up aimed at appealing to fiscally conservative voters unhappy with Rishi Sunak’s stewardship of the economy. As Richard Tice noted in his speech, the Tories have “betrayed us all by raising taxes.”

However, the audience seemed notably less enthusiastic about the tax policies compared to Reform’s red meat positions on immigration, transgender issues, and opposing organizations like the WHO. This likely reflects the makeup of Reform’s base – largely populist-right voters drawn to the party more by its stances on hot-button cultural issues than its economic proposals.

Nonetheless, the extensive tax cut plans form a core plank of Reform’s pitch to the Tory base. The pledge to raise the 40p tax threshold to £70,000 would put an extra £2,400 back into the pockets of anyone earning over £50,000 per year. Meanwhile, the proposed hike in the basic rate threshold to £20,000 would exempt anyone earning under £20k from income tax altogether.

On corporate taxes, Reform advocates slashing the current rate of 25% down to just 15% over five years. This would represent a massive tax break for businesses at a time when many are struggling with rising costs. Taken together, these tax policies represent a drastic divergence from the high-tax status quo under Sunak. They exemplify Reform’s strategy of positioning itself as the party of low taxes and economic freedom.

But apart from all this, Lee Anderson’s suspension from the Conservative party midway through the Reform UK conference undeniably threw the event into temporary disarray. As Rupert Lowe was speaking on Saturday afternoon, the sudden flurry of news alerts about Anderson’s dramatic suspension for his comments about Sadiq Khan disrupted the proceedings.

Lowe himself adeptly incorporated the breaking development into his speech, joking about the chaos swirling around the Tories. However, behind the scenes, Reform UK sources admitted frustration to media outlets that Anderson was stealing the spotlight during their conference. As one insider complained, “It was our day, not his.”

Richard Tice showed adept leadership in steering the Reform UK conference focus back to the party’s policy agenda despite endless questions about Lee Anderson’s suspension. As a staunch Reform UK supporter, it was inspiring to see Tice’s determination to keep the spotlight on substantive issues.

While Anderson’s dramatic suspension from the Conservatives dominated political headlines, Tice stressed that he had no contact with Anderson and Reform was “just focusing on doing what we’re doing.” This response highlighted Tice’s commitment to cementing Reform as a serious policy alternative to the floundering Tories.

Tice’s ability to brush off the Anderson distraction reinforced that this party is about more than political drama and personalities. Reform offers voters real solutions on issues like tax reform, immigration, NHS funding, and more. Tice admirably confronted the media frenzy head-on and directed the conversation back to Reform’s ambitious reform agenda.

His leadership proved that Reform UK aims to move beyond being a single-issue Brexit party and provide a movement for change-seeking voters of all stripes. As Tice said, the party’s steady rise in the polls shows voters are taking Reform seriously as an alternative.

Moreover, Nigel Farage, who is the Honorary President of Reform UK, has suggested Anderson could find a new home in the rival party, which was originally called the Brexit Party. “Lee Anderson should join Reform UK,” Farage told the Express.

In contrast to the endless Conservative chaos, infighting, and scandals, Tice showed that Reform UK offers stable, principled leadership focused on improving people’s lives. His poised handling of the Anderson suspension drama highlighted the stark contrast between Reform’s serious policy focus and the Tory penchant for self-sabotage and controversy. It reinforced why disgruntled voters across the spectrum should view Reform UK as a breath of fresh air.

To the party leadership’s credit, they largely succeeded in keeping attention centered on their reform agenda during the afternoon speeches and panel sessions. Big applause lines on controversial stands like opposing Sharia law in the UK, freezing “non-essential” immigration, and leaving the European Convention on Human Rights underscored that this was an audience hungry for unvarnished right-wing populism.

By far the biggest rounds of applause of the morning came when Mr Tice promised a Reform UK government would ensure Britain leaves both the World Health Organisation and the World Economic Forum.

Richard Tice said: “We marked it actually and the biggest cheers were about what’s going on in our schools for our children, and interestingly what we said about the World Health Organisation, that’s a really big issue.”

He also added: “And yes, immigration, because nobody voted for mass immigration.”

While the tax plans had elicited a more tepid response, the red meat on offer to this crowd generated predictable enthusiasm.

Digging deeper, conversations with attendees revealed a membership base highly disgruntled with the direction of both main parties. From lifelong Tories worried about Sunak’s economic management and softness on immigration, to Labour supporters equally concerned about Sir Keir Starmer’s vagueness on core issues, Reform UK appears to be scooping up Britons seeking clearer, more decisive leadership. As Tice noted, Reform’s rise in the polls indicates that voters are taking the party seriously as an alternative.

Of course, the Lee Anderson saga will continue to bubble in the background moving forward. Nigel Farage has already enthusiastically welcomed Anderson to defect to Reform UK. While Tice seemingly wants to downplay the Anderson distraction, the MP’s potential arrival would certainly bolster Reform’s insurgent status. It would also likely win over even more of the Tory base disenchanted with Sunak’s leadership.

Stepping back, the Doncaster conference highlighted that Reform UK is no longer just a single-issue Brexit protest party, but a rising force with a slate of policies that could upend the traditional two-party dynamic.

The coming months will test whether the party can translate public dissatisfaction with the Conservatives into tangible election success. With competent leadership, a clear populist-right platform, and voter angst against the establishment running high, Reform may yet shake up the next general election in ways few would have predicted not long ago. For the Reform UK faithful gathered in Doncaster, that potential was palpable.