Reflections from Reform Conference 2026
By Jade Pallister, Director of Energy and Infrastructure
In this insight, I share some reflections from Reform Conference and what the weekend told us about how the party could govern across the state, energy and nature.
Reform Conference 2026
There was a different air at Reform Conference this year.
The conference was bigger than last year. Alongside the main stage, there was a serious programme of roundtables and fringe events focused on what the first 100 days of a Reform government could look like. In the main hall, Reform MPs and right-wing influencers helped create a clear sense of a growing “Reform identity”. This is much a party of content creators (fitted with a dedicated content hub in the hall) and influencers (with filming cameras following them around). Members felt mobilised.
But there was also a simmering insecurity underneath. As one attendee put it: “It felt a bit flat. Lots of complaining. Kemi is mean, the press are mean…”
The undercover investigation clearly hung over the weekend. More broadly, it felt like a political party trying to prove both its seriousness and its readiness for government while under considerable political pressure.
Reform in power
A key person to watch is Danny Kruger, Reform’s Head of Government Preparations.
Kruger previously served as Shadow Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and leads Re:State, a policy initiative developing plans for a radical overhaul of the British state and Whitehall.
And the proposals being discussed are radical.
At their heart is an ambition to shift Britain away from what Kruger describes as a state focused on social welfare and back towards the “proper functions” of government: defence, borders, policing and prisons.
That means an axe to the welfare bill, significant cuts to central government and government agencies, and an attempt to move responsibility for some welfare provision away from Whitehall and towards local communities and civic associations.
Reform is also thinking about the machinery of government itself: reducing the size of departments including DWP, reforming the civil service and recruiting a new Cabinet Secretary.
The first 100 days
The theme of the Conference was the first 100 days. Kruger and his team are preparing a series of documents intended to form the basis of a future programme for government.
The ambition is to arrive in office ready to move immediately: senior appointments identified, legislation pre-drafted, and controversial reforms included in the manifesto so that Reform can claim a direct electoral mandate for them.
According to Kruger, the first 100 days would focus on three immediate priorities:
freeing up energy supply;
detaining and deporting illegal migrants; and
restoring what Reform sees as the essential principle of civil service accountability to ministers, including through changes to the Civil Service Code and Ministerial Code.
Reform and energy
With rolling back net zero and “freeing up” energy supply among Reform’s central political pillars, energy featured heavily throughout the conference.
The underlying philosophy is deep scepticism about climate policy, a preference for market-led decisions over government subsidy, and a focus on reducing energy costs above everything else.
At some fringe events, that extended as far as proposals to bring coal back onto the system as a source of firm power.
One influential voice in these discussions is right-wing commentator David Turner, whose proposals give a useful indication of where parts of the Reform ecosystem are heading.
Not all of these proposals are formal Reform policy. But taken together they show a clear direction of travel:
ending the Renewables Obligation;
cancelling AR7 and future Contracts for Difference allocation rounds;
seeking to renegotiate existing renewable contracts, including lower strike prices for subsidised wind farms;
moving the nuclear RAB levy from bills into general taxation;
abolishing carbon pricing;
abolishing the Green Gas Levy;
moving the Warm Home Discount into taxation;
refusing to honour some new commitments to grid expansion;
removing support for carbon capture and storage;
ending heat decarbonisation programmes and subsidies for heat pumps;
removing the non-nuclear elements of Great British Energy;
ending government support for hydrogen; and
abolishing the Climate Change Committee.
The political proposition is to strip climate and energy policy back to what Reform believes will deliver the cheapest and most secure energy system.
Whether that programme could deliver the savings claimed (around £30bn) - while maintaining investment, security of supply (with additional gas and nuclear brought onto the system) - is another question entirely.
Nature and the environment
Nature was much more of a fringe discussion at Reform Conference.
But an event sponsored by the RSPB and National Trust, including new polling from More in Common, offered a useful indication of how Reform politicians and members are approaching the issue.
Perhaps the best summary came from one speaker who argued that Reform should “go back to the real environment” - moving away from net zero and climate change and towards protecting land, supporting farmers and preventing the loss of nature.
A newly elected Reform representative argued that the “green lobby has the ear of Westminster” - describing a large green NGO “blob” which, in their view, does not reflect the needs of local communities.
There was a clear attempt to separate nature from net zero.
Nature was framed around land, rivers, farming and local stewardship. Climate policy, by contrast, was associated with regulation, targets and restrictions imposed from Westminster.
This distinction is important for organisations hoping to engage Reform.
There appeared to be little enthusiasm for environmental targets themselves, but considerably greater interest in tangible issues such as supporting farmers on agriculture, polluted rivers, sewage, and the loss of local nature.
One Reform MSP, for instance, is working with the Woodland Trust on a tree protection bill.
The challenge - and opportunity - will be navigating what More in Common identify as the perceived tension between environmental protection and economic growth.
What does this mean for organisations engaging Reform?
For businesses, campaigners and many charities, this is an important moment to engage.
Reform is still developing its programme for government. That means organisations have an opportunity to influence the people shaping policy now - from Kruger and the national government preparations team to newly elected councillors and representatives across the country.
But as with any party, engagement will need to look different.
Arguments that land with Labour or civil servants will not land with Reform. Organisations will need to understand Reform’s underlying political instincts and translate their case into Reform-coded language: cost, security, local control, fairness, freedom and tangible benefits for communities.
If you would like to discuss how your organisation should be engaging with Reform, or how to adapt your communications and public affairs strategy for a changing political landscape, do get in touch.