Background
Ben Habib is the former co-deputy leader of Reform UK. A Karachi-born son of an English mother and Pakistani father, he moved to the UK as a 14-year-old boy. After attending exclusive public school, Rugby, he studied natural sciences at Cambridge. Once graduated, Habib moved into finance with a job at Lehman Brothers and then at an insurance broker. In 1994, he made the switch to the property business, working at a property development company before starting his own property fund company, First Property Group plc, at the turn of the century. He remains group chief executive of the AIM-listed company today that operates in the UK, Poland and Romania.
Habib’s first association with politics came as a Conservative Party voter and donor before becoming a vocal supporter of Brexit, citing mainly sovereignty, immigration and trade arguments. At the 2019 European Elections, Habib stood as a candidate for Farage’s Brexit Party, winning a London seat with some reports suggesting he was then the wealthiest MEP in Europe. Around this time, he received media coverage for suggesting that there were ways to benefit from the turmoil the UK’s departure would cause. (Huff Post].
Appointed Co-Deputy Leader
In March 2023, Habib was appointed deputy co-leader of Reform UK alongside Dr David Bull. His profile among rank-and-file Reform members grew, and he proved a highly competent media performer for the party. He gained notoriety in April 2024 for suggesting during one interview that small boat migrants should be left to drown instead of being rescued. When the host asked if he would leave them to drown if they scuppered their inflatable, Mr Habib responded: “Absolutely, they cannot be infantilised to the point that we become hostage to fortune.” Farage’s most public response to the ‘drowning’ comments came on an episode of BBC Question Time broadcast on 30 May 2025. Pressured to condemn Habib’s controversial comments and asked if he denounced them, Farage responded incredulously: “I didn’t hear him say that”. Asked again whether he would condemn the remarks, he said, “Well, of course”.
The July 2024 General Election
A general election was called for July 2024, with Farage initially staying on the sidelines and not standing for election himself. However, on [ ] he dramatically changed his mind. Habib had already been selected as a candidate for the Wellingborough and Rushden constituency.
Habib came third in his quest to become an MP, recording 21.5% of the vote. Days after the election, Farage reshuffled the party leadership with both Ben Habib and Dr Bull removed from their deputy leadership position being replaced by former leader and now MP Richard Tice. The millionaire businessman Zia Yusuf, who has emerged as one of Reform’s most significant new funders, has been named as the party’s new chair. Farage said in a statement at the time issued through the party: “These appointments are the first step to ensure that Reform UK is fit and ready to take forward its positive message. I have no doubt that we will professionalise the party and change politics for good.” Habib posted on X that he would be reflecting on these developments.
Finding himself outside the core leadership group and at odds with Farage on several fronts, Habib quit the party on 28 November 2024. He cited differences over mass deportations and his concerns over Reform’s leadership structures. Another difference was Habib’s support for the Northern Ireland unionist party the TUV an alliance Farage soon did away with when returning to party leadership. Habib explained his reasons in a series of media interviews.
Great British Political Action Committee
The first indications that Ben Habib may stay on in politics after his departure from Reform UK came when he joined fellow Brexiter and former Conservative MEP Daniel Hannan in founding the GB PAC (Great British Political Action Committee) a name inspired by the powerful Political Action Committees in the United States. Hannan had been given his peerage by Boris Johnson in January 2021. At the time of writing Ben Habib was still identified as the chairman of GBPAC on its own website.
Launch of Advance UK
Ben Habib officially announced the launch of Advance UK on June 30, 2025, almost exactly one year after the 2024 General Election. Habib said his first goal for the party was to reach 30,000 paid members in order to achieve full party status in the eyes of the Electoral Commission, and to speed that up, memberships would be discounted at £10 per year. He also announced his plan to donate £100,000 to the party as soon as the goal had been reached.
On 7 September 2025, it was announced that the figure of 30,000 had been reached, just 68 days after its launch.
Tommy Robinson joins Advance UK
Cementing their status as the most right-wing political party, far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, aka Tommy Robinson, announced on 2 August 2025 that he was joining Habib’s party, saying he was “sick of the establishment lies of Nigel Farage”.
In late August 2025, reports appeared in the British press that Elon Musk was prepared to support Advance UK financially. However, at the time of writing, there were no confirmed reports that any donations had been made. On 14 November, ex-Tory Walsall councillor Jade Chapman announced she had joined the party, becoming its first elected politician.
Final thoughts
There are certainly some parallels between the Habib-Farage split and the Rupert Lowe affair that followed it. Both departees had been taking some of the limelight from Farage. Both had been advocating for mass deportations and espousing more extremist views than Farage. Both had more time for Tommy Robinson than Farage had. In seeking to broaden Reform’s electoral appeal beyond the populist right, Farage may well consider the two departures worthwhile despite the short-term appearance of infighting. Rupert Lowe and Ben Habib remain mutually supportive in their online content but have stopped short of being in the same party. In electoral terms, there is no evidence yet of any harm caused to Reform’s prospects of achieving power. However, this may change.