A new branch of Reform UK has been set up in Cumbria as the party aims to capitalise on its momentum gained during the general election.

Penrith Parish Centre was the venue on Tuesday night where an enthusiastic group of supporters met to formulate a “ground game” strategy across the Penrith and the Solway constituency, one of the largest by area in England.

Reform UK, who are led by Brexit backing Nigel Farage, won five seats across the country in the recent general election and beat the Tories into second place in Whitehaven and Workington whilst pushing them close in Penrith and the Solway and Carlisle.

Matthew Moody, the party’s general election candidate who polled 15.5 per cent of votes cast in the newly created seat, told supporters that Reform had the best national “air game” in the weeks leading up to voting on July 4.

“We outperformed all the other parties across social media in terms of millions of views, but we were not so good with our ground game.

“That’s what we need to work on if we’re going to form a grassroots movement that can capture council seats and help us to win the 2029 general election.”

He pointed out that the Liberal Democrats won 12 per cent of the vote at the election which translated into 11 per cent of the seats.

In contrast, Reform’s 14 per cent of the popular vote only resulted in 0.8 per cent of the seats in the House of Commons.

“Reform’s aim is to be fully up and running for local elections all across the country no later than 2027,” said Mr Moody. 

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“At the moment 200 Reform branches are in process of being formed and we hope to have branches in all of the UK’s 650 constituencies by early next year.”

“It is crucial to move swiftly forming local branches because you never know when there will be a general election.

“Already we have a very unpopular new government with an even more unpopular leader.”

He told the meeting that winning elections locally would prove that Reform was in a good position to return ‘hundreds of MPs’ at the next general election.