In what some might call a seasonal surprise, Reform UK's deputy leader, Richard Tice, opened a press conference with a rare and seemingly genuine apology. The event, held at Church House in Westminster, was ostensibly called to address the fallout from his controversial comments about children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
A Faltering Apology and a Clumsy Pivot
"I want to begin with an apology," Tice stated, striking a tone that observers noted was uncharacteristically earnest. For the past fortnight, the party had kept him largely out of the spotlight after he claimed that seeing disabled children wearing ear defenders in classrooms was "insanity." The remarks had provoked a backlash, including from within Reform's own supporter base, some of whom have children with SEND.
Tice sought to make amends, suggesting his earlier point was really about being "pleased that children were getting the help they needed." He attempted to reframe the language, proposing, "We need to stop thinking of children as disabled. We need to think of them as differently abled." The statement was met with visible discomfort from the sparse audience and stony silence from his colleague, Lee Anderson, who sat glumly in the front row.
Contradictions and Collapsing Coherence
The press conference, Reform's second in two days, quickly unravelled as Tice's narrative became entangled in contradictions. He pledged to turn every church into a special school and ensure SEND provision in every village, while simultaneously criticising the current system. He veered between praising and condemning private equity in education, leaving his policy position utterly opaque.
His bid for a more empathetic image was further undermined during the question session. Tice refused to retract his defence of Nigel Farage against allegations of past racist and antisemitic remarks, dismissing them as "old news." He also declined to condemn Reform's mayoral candidate, Chris Parry, for telling Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy to "go home to the Caribbean." Tice characterised such comments as mere "rough and tumble" politics.
A Party Grappling with Its Identity
The event laid bare the internal tensions within Reform UK. The poorly attended conference in a large hall symbolised a law of diminishing returns. Lee Anderson's miserable presence hinted at a party faction uncomfortable with this particular public relations pivot. Meanwhile, the response online, including one comment advocating eugenics to "sort out Send," highlighted the chasm between the leadership's attempted recalibration and a segment of its supporters.
By the end, Tice appeared intellectually spent, crushed by the weight of his own inconsistencies. He lauded and lambasted the BBC in the same breath and seemed driven more by a desperate need for approval than by any coherent ideology. The performance left the impression of a politician trapped between a desire for mainstream validation and the uncompromising brand of his party, ultimately pleasing no one and clarifying nothing.
