Reform UK has banned at least three journalists who have reported critically on the party and Nigel Farage from its annual conference, which is scheduled to begin on Thursday. The Guardian's city editor, Anna Isaac, investigative reporter Peter Geoghegan, and broadcaster Michael Crick were informed this week that their credentials to cover the event had been declined.
A Reform spokesperson stated that Geoghegan and Crick were refused accreditation because the party considered them minor figures. The spokesperson declined to comment on the reason for Isaac's initial lack of accreditation. Following contact from The Guardian, all three journalists received emails indicating their conference passes had been reinstated. However, a Reform spokesperson later described this as an administrative error, confirming their continued exclusion, and further emails were sent to confirm this.
Anna Isaac previously reported on an undeclared £5m gift received by Nigel Farage and on potential money-laundering concerns reported to the National Crime Agency involving Reform UK figures and party donations. Peter Geoghegan runs the Democracy for Sale blog and was banned shortly after publishing a piece about alleged negative comments concerning Christopher Harborne. Michael Crick, who published a biography of Farage in 2022, said he could understand why the party might not want him talking to members.
Laura Davison, general secretary of the NUJ, expressed concern over the reports, stating that a functioning democracy relies on a free press to hold political parties accountable. A Guardian spokesperson also emphasised the role of a free press in holding public figures to account.