Waves of women bewitched by the far-right

Reform UK, representing far-right politics, are attracting the female vote now more than ever before. 

More women are supporting far-right ideologies, recent studies suggest.

A large portion of female voters in the UK are central or side with the left on the political spectrum. However, there now appears to be small surges of women being drawn further right.

Opinion pollsters from More in Common demonstrate that Reform’s share of female supporters has shown a distinct increase over the past year, climbing 8% in only six months for women aged 18 to 26. 

These figures alone may arise a mixture of feeling for many women.  

The far-right have pushed back against the UK’s first Labour government since 2010. Nigel Farage’s Reform UK has courted supporters amid worries over illegal immigration, as nationalist protests have erupted across the country. 

Far-right followers continue to hang St George’s flags along busy high streets and stand in groups outside hotels housing asylum seekers in demonstration. These measures have subsequently been associated with a spike in hateful rhetoric toward ethnic minorities. 

For some, the hanging of flag poles has been seen as a “clear symbol of racism”.  “Nobody who has a proper understanding” of the alleged intent behind it “would pretend otherwise”, says Kehinde Andrews, Professor of Black Studies at Birmingham City University. 

Race and religiously motivated offences are at a high, as hate crimes targeted towards the Muslim community have risen by 19% since July 2024. Jewish and Muslim populations are experiencing “unacceptable levels” of which is “often violent hate crime”, according to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood. 

Recently, the wife of a former Conservative Councillor was jailed after publishing a racial hate post on social media platform X where she called for hotels housing immigrants to be “set on fire” in the wake of the Southport murders last year. 

Her prison sentence seemed not to change her views, and after her release she appeared at Reform UK’s Birmingham conference in September. 

Reform MPs, such as Nadine Dorries, have likened Lucy Connolly to a “political prisoner”, insisting that she was “targeted” and “made an example of”. 

Subsequently, voters have begun to wonder what this means for the future. 

For the younger generation of women and girls, social media appears to play a vital role in their reception of news. On platforms such as Tiktok and Twitter, political parties can tailor content toward potential voters through algorithms and ‘clickbait’.

Charlotte Hill became a Reform UK councillor in Derbyshire, joining Farage’s old “UKIP” party at the age of 14. Hill states that she was originally attracted to reform since the party is successful in communicating its political message and says she is excited about its ability to start “tapping into the young generation quickly” through social media.

Sienna Churcher, most recently appointed as the first female teenage councillor for Reform UK, has discussed her journey and experiences of the party on her social media accounts. 

Reform’s internet reach is expanding and advancing, many suggest far more than other political parties. Nigel Farage’s Tik Tok account has 1.2 million followers, whereas Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch aren’t even on it. 

In this digital age, a new generation of female voters will make their final decisions through these online platforms.