Advance UK
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Advance UK, formerly the Integrity Party, is a far-right political party in the United Kingdom led by Ben Habib, the former Deputy Leader of Reform UK, since June 2025.
The party was launched in its current form in 2025, following Habib's departure from Reform UK in November 2024 due to internal disagreements and a falling-out with Nigel Farage and Zia Yusuf. It was registered with the Electoral Commission on 4 December 2025.
Advance is positioned to the right of Reform UK. The party was involved in the Unite the Kingdom rally in September 2025, and has been supported by Tommy Robinson and Elon Musk.
History
Background
In October 2023, Ben Habib was appointed as the Deputy Leader of Reform UK. The following year he contested Wellingborough twice; polling 13% at the by-election and 21.5% at the general election. Habib faced criticism after a Talk TV interview in April 2024, in which he stated that refugees crossing the English Channel whose boats are sinking "have to suffer the consequences of their actions" and suggested they should be left to drown.
In July 2024, Habib expressed concerns after his removal as Deputy Leader. He also criticised Reform UK's new constitution as "undemocratic". In November 2024, Farage told GB News that Habib had "attacked me more in public than the Labour Party" and had become "very bitter".
Integrity Party
Following the falling-out between Habib and Farage, on 28 November 2024, Habib announced he was quitting Reform UK. Habib cited ideological differences with Farage, such as Habib's support for mass deportations, as well as the structure of Reform UK. After leaving, Habib said he wished to create a party that would be to the right of Reform UK. He later stated that Elon Musk had urged him to set up a party in early 2025.
In April 2025, Habib announced he would be taking over the Integrity Party, which had been created by Christian Russell and Richard J. Shaw in 2024. Habib stated that he intended to make sure the party was properly set up and organised before applying to the Electoral Commission for registration.
Formation
On 30 June 2025, Habib announced the party's new name "Advance UK", and set a target of 30,000 members before registration. The limited company behind the Integrity Party was renamed as Advance UK Party Limited. Restore Britain, a far-right pressure group, was established by Rupert Lowe MP later that day.
In July, Richard Inman – an event organiser for prominent far-right activist Tommy Robinson, and a former UKIP National Executive Committee member – joined Advance UK. In early August, Tommy Robinson announced he too was joining the party. Later that month, four former parliamentary candidates and one branch chair defected from Reform. On 26 August 2025, Elon Musk declared his support for the party, saying: "Advance UK will actually drive change. Farage is weak sauce who will do nothing."
At Tommy Robinson's 'Unite the Kingdom' rally in London on 13 September 2025, Advance UK was listed as a sponsor of the event. Habib was a speaker at the rally, which saw a turnout between 110,000 and 150,000.
Launch
The party was due to hold an official launch event at the Crowne-Plaza Hotel in Newcastle upon Tyne on 27 September. However, after criticism, the hotel management cancelled the booking on health and safety grounds, according to Newcastle City Council. Habib told supporters on Twitter that the party would still launch in Newcastle.
In November 2025, Wootton Bridge Community Centre on the Isle of Wight, where 100 Advance UK supporters had met, was placed under review by the Charity Commission over alleged political activity.
On 4 December 2025, the party was registered with the Electoral Commission to run candidates in Great Britain. Edward Oakenfull, the party's treasurer, was previously the Reform candidate for Derbyshire Dales in 2024; but was dropped over his comments on the IQ of sub-Saharan Africans.
Post-launch
In January 2026, The Independent reported that both Advance UK and Britain First were selling official merchandise manufactured in China and Pakistan.
In Februrary, it was announced that Nick Buckley, who formerly stood as an independent to be Greater Manchester Mayor, would be standing for the party in the 2026 Gorton and Denton by-election. He has campaigned on setting up a local grooming gangs inquiry, an anti-knife crime project and holding monthly meetings to hold police chiefs to account.
On 7 February 2026, the party held a conference at the Emmanuel Centre, an evangelical church in London, in which it proposed to suspend all asylum claims and prohibit the Muslim Burqa and call to prayer.[better source needed] The Emmanuel Centre was criticised by groups including Christians for a Welcoming Britain for hosting what they described as a "far-right political conference".
Nick Buckley contested the Gorton and Denton by-election in February 2026 for Advance, coming seventh with 155 votes, behind Sir Oink-a-lot of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party.
Ideology and policy
The party has been described as "far-right" by The Guardian, The Evening Standard, The National, Nation.Cymru, and HuffPost UK, while the Daily Mirror has described it as 'hard-right'. The Spectator, The Daily Telegraph and BBC News have more broadly labelled it as 'right-wing'. Suzanne Breen in the Belfast Telegraph referred to the party as right-wing. The party has been described by Sean O'Grady in The Independent as part of the fringe far-right, and as potentially extremist. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation described Advance UK's founding conference in the North East as "a troubling development" and described the party as right-wing. Chetan Bhatt in an article published in Ethnic and Racial Studies outlined how the party was adopting anti-migrant sentiments, and alliances that were promoting racism through themes of migration, crime, and civilisational decline.
In the Financial Times, Anna Gross wrote that Habib was working to prevent Nigel Farage from winning the next UK general election, and that the more hardline Advance UK could take votes from those who consider Farage too moderate. Further, Alex Kane of The Irish News suggested in September 2025 that Advance was "in danger of becoming an anti-Farage party rather than a genuine alternative to Reform".
In April 2025, Habib announced that the Integrity Party would abolish quangos created under Tony Blair and enact "Liz Truss style" tax-cuts.
Advance professes principles such as sovereignty, freedom of speech, democracy, and equality before the law. It also stands for "Christian constitutional values" and rejects the influence of institutions such as the United Nations, the World Health Organization and the World Economic Forum.
Habib, who previously signed the Reform UK-TUV pact, told the News Letter that he "hopes anything his new party does in Northern Ireland will be with the TUV". He also said that "Farage doesn't stand" for the Acts of Union.
Patrick English, director of political analytics at YouGov, said that Advance UK "certainly might have the potential to be disruptive but they'll need to work very hard to find people capable of fronting it".
Local government
As of February 2026, 11 councillors represent Advance UK.
In January 2026, Durham County Councillor Paul Bean joined the party. Hope Not Hate previously suggested this defection would happen in an article published after his suspension from Reform UK over comments about asylum seekers.
| Council | Councillors |
|---|---|
| Amber Valley | 2 / 42 |
| Devon | 2 / 60 |
| Doncaster | 2 / 55 |
| Durham | 1 / 98 |
| Kensington and Chelsea | 1 / 98 |
| Sandwell | 1 / 72 |
| Walsall | 1 / 60 |
Structure
The party plans to create a 'college' of representatives that will vote for proposed policies, and is intended to guide the party's board of directors and the executive, consisting of the party leaders. According to The Telegraph, those recruited for the 'college' include Katie Waissel and Howard Cox. Sean O'Grady described the arrangement as 'complicated' and likely to lead to internal friction.
In a Sky News article discussing right-wing and extreme bias on Twitter, Habib described the platform as vital for Advance UK. He also stated that all of the party's membership had arrived via Twitter, podcasts, YouTube, and other social media platforms.
Habib claims to have put £100,000 into the party and said it has raised £600,000 from other sources.
In Wales
Advance UK's Welsh branch was led by Richard Taylor, a previous candidate for the Brexit Party in the 2019 general election, and Abolish the Welsh Assembly Party at the 2021 Senedd election. In December 2025, in an interview with former GB News presenter Dan Wootton, Taylor called for the expulsion of Islam from the UK. He later resigned in January 2026.
Taylor has criticised the new director for Wales, Pete Prosser, and called for Habib to intervene and not stand any candidates in the 2026 Senedd election.
In Cardiff, anti-fascist group Stand Up to Racism persuaded the venue to cancel the Wales launch booking in October 2025. The Brunswick Arms in Swansea was boycotted and sent a petition by local residents, after it hosted a meeting.
In December 2025, in an interview with former GB News presenter Dan Wootton, Taylor called for the expulsion of Islam from the UK.
In Northern Ireland
In July 2025, Habib told the News Letter that he hoped to work alongside Jim Allister and the TUV in Northern Ireland. He said that "Farage doesn't stand" for the Acts of Union.
Aileen Quinton, whose mother Alberta was killed in the IRA's Enniskillen bombing in 1987, is a member of the party's college.
In November 2025, Habib was criticised after he told Hilary Schan, who advocated for Irish unity at the Your Party conference, to "Go to the Republic". Suzanne Breen of the Belfast Telegraph reported that the party has 600 members in Northern Ireland, and is preparing to register there.