Written by Amy O’Donoghue
David Bull, chairman of Reform UK, visited LSE on 26 January, speaking at an event titled: “Will Reform be Ready for Government?” The event was organised by the LSESU Conservative Association (a society organised around general conservative ideology rather than the Conservative party). Tickets were in high demand, and the location was released just a few hours before the event in an attempt to avoid anticipated protests. No such protests actually occurred, and the event went ahead unhindered.
Bull began the event by discussing the rapid rise of Reform, describing them as the “fastest growing party ever seen in UK history” and noting that, relative to their 5 MPs, they get a disproportionate amount of airtime from the media. He claimed that the current government was in “utter chaos” and that a General Election would be coming sooner than one would expect, believing a vote of no confidence was probable. With Reform currently polling at around 30%, he anticipated this would bring about Labour’s worst result since 1931. He also addressed the Conservatives, describing them as facing a “terminal extinction”, in part due to the number of their MPs defecting to Reform. The event took place just a few hours after Suella Braverman’s defection was publicly announced.
Bull also discussed his personal history, mentioning that he was previously a doctor in the early 1990s before transitioning into TV from 1995. He was also a Conservative candidate in the 2000s, but stood down in 2009 and later returned to politics as an MEP for the Brexit party in 2019.
Giving a brief overview of the problems he believes the UK is up against, he claimed that people who create employment are leaving the country due to Starmer’s tendency to “give things away”, something he also related to the Chagos Islands, which he described as “sovereign British territory”. In response to the titular question of the event, he acknowledged that Reform has no experience running government, but argued that bringing in Danny Kruger, a former Conservative Shadow Minister and parliamentary aide who defected to Reform, would therefore be important.
In conversation with James Bennett, leader of London’s Students for Reform branch and coordinator of the event, Bull discussed Reform’s national aims. He described the money the UK spends on reducing emissions as “net-zero nonsense”. He lamented the fact that a pub is closing every day and alluded to the ‘pub populism’ which Reform engages in. He claimed former PM Tony Blair was wrong to aim for 50% of young people in university, calling it a “travesty” that so many are not in studies or training, and argued that anyone would prefer to hire someone with real-world experience rather than someone “sat looking at PowerPoints about how oppressed they are”. Additionally, he supported the immediate cancellation of interest payments on student debt and put forward his own idea (which is not official party policy), that anyone who works in the NHS for 10 years should get their student debt wiped off. He also stated that under his guidance, the NHS will always remain free at the point of delivery.
In response to a question about Reform being funded by a few wealthy individuals, Bull emphasised that there are many “normal people who give 25 quid”. When pressed on how much of Reform’s funding base is built upon these extremely wealthy donors, Bull argued that the party is not defined by these donations, although research at the end of 2025 estimated that 75% of Reform’s funding came from three individual donors.
One audience member asked what Reform would do about “Islamic rape gangs and terrorists” and claimed that the problem was not just illegal but also legal migration. Bull responded that areas such as East London were now “siloed communities” and asserted that if you don’t speak English and subscribe to “our values”, then you shouldn’t be here. He further stated that “we spend a fraction of what we spend on housing illegal immigrants on housing veterans”. The questioner asked how many deportations Reform would therefore be aiming for. Bull responded that over a five-year period, they would aim for “something like 600k”.
When asked about integration and balancing tolerance with preservation of British culture, Bull responded simply that everyone must speak English and accept British values and that “we are one culture”. He claimed that as a medic in Ealing in the 1990s, 90% of his patients didn’t speak English, although more recent estimates find that in the most diverse areas of East London, the number of people who speak no English at all is 8-9%. With reference to fellow Reform MP Sarah Pochin’s call to ban burqas, Bull said that he didn’t disagree, as face coverings in general are a problem, including burqas and bike helmets. He made reference to the “broken windows policy”, implying that dealing with these garments would reduce crime. When questioned on the fact that Bull himself is gay and this wasn’t accepted before, Bull responded that it’s about “having an inclusive society but bound together by common values”.
Concluding his remarks on integration and culture, Bull added that London has become an “unrecognisable city under Sadiq Khan” due to crime. He stated that we “can’t live in a place where Jewish people are scared to go to the synagogue” and asserted that a British Bill of Rights will replace the ECHR under Reform, allowing for easier deportations.
One audience member asked about a quote from Bull in which he alleges trans people are a danger to women, referencing their presence in single-sex bathrooms. Bull responded repeatedly that he had never said such a thing, although the audience member stated that the quote was listed on the Reform UK website. The quote which she was referring to, which was deleted from their website immediately following the event, was Bull discussing an HR report which recommended people use bathrooms they are comfortable with, claiming this “trashes women’s safety”. Bull elaborated that whilst it is important to protect trans people, women need single-sex spaces and may not be comfortable with people in the early stages of their transition. He also described early transition as problematic, citing his concerns as a previous medic about putting people down an “irreversible path”.
Bennett told The Beaver that LSESU Conservative Association was “very proud of the event” and has received “positive feedback from students of various political persuasions”.
An LSE spokesperson told The Beaver: “As an institution, LSE does not take a formal position on political issues. Instead, it endeavours to provide a platform to facilitate discussion and critical debate, within the law, where the views of all parties are treated with respect. This includes the expression of views that are unpopular, controversial, provocative, or cause upset, but are not unlawful.”
