Reform UK candidate makes large ‘UKIP’ election gaffe as he forgets personal occasion
Reform’s Peter Reeve suffered a viral gaffe after winning in Peterborough, accidentally hailing the wrong party’s success before blaming his 15-year muscle memory
Reform’s Peter Reeve suffered a viral gaffe after winning in Peterborough(Image: @Heccles94/X)
A newly-elected Reform Party councillor has suffered a total brain fade by forgetting which party he actually represents during a live TV interview. Peter Reeve, the fresh face for Stanground South in Peterborough, left viewers in stitches when he accidentally resurrected the ghost of his political past.
As Nigel Farage’s Reform Party enjoyed a historic night at the local elections, snatching hundreds of seats and leaving Keir Starmer’s Labour in the doldrums, Reeve managed to snatch a viral moment from the jaws of victory.
During a post-win chat with ITV, the former UKIP man let his old colours show. With the cameras rolling, he said: “Our message is UKIP’s here, working hard with local communities.”
The stunned interviewer was forced to step in, awkwardly whispering: “UKIP?” Realising he’d just committed the ultimate political slip-up a red-faced Reeve scrambled to fix the blunder.
He said: “Sorry, Reform is here, working hard with local communities. I’ve been doing this for the last 15 years from the UKIP days, all the way through to Reform.”
It didn’t take long for social media users on X (formerly Twitter) to stick the boot in. Critics were quick to claim the mask had slipped, suggesting Reform is just a “rebrand” of Farage’s old party.
One user said: “UKIP’s here, sorry, muscle memory from 15 years of the same vintage. Reform’s just UKIP in a fresh bottle with a shinier label. Classic rebrand: new name, same reflexes.”
Another wrote: “Reform are UKIP in all but name and this muppet has just slipped up and confirmed it.”
Others were less analytical and more baffled, with one voter asking: “Why would anyone vote for this person? I do not understand.”
Despite the embarrassing slip-up, the night was anything but a joke for the Reform Party. While Reeve was busy remembering his own name, his party was busy demolishing the competition.
With Labour shedding hundreds of councillors in a crushing night, Reform has emerged as the standout victor of the local elections.
Speaking to reporters in east London, Reform leader Farage said early results in England showed a “truly historic shift”. While the results continued to roll in, he told the BBC that “the best is yet to come.”
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