Guardian sketchwriter John Crace’s Saturday satire imagines Reform UK leader Nigel Farage taking on newsroom roles as the party expands its media operation beyond its new newspaper.
In the Oct. 31 “Digested read,” Crace casts Farage as an editor, advice columnist and crossword compiler, and has him interview himself. The invented bylines and stories are part of the parody, which takes the paper’s launch as its premise.
The first edition of The Reformer featured Farage on the cover. The Guardian reproduced a line from his opening column: “We have had enough of what we say and do being distorted by the media.” The Guardian also said the issue listed no other person as an article author.
Reform’s recruitment notice describes newsroom work spread across all seven days at the party’s Westminster office. It says Reform wants to expand its website into a major national publisher. The broader media effort also includes video work, according to reporting by the Guardian and Reuters.
Before the launch, party officials told Reuters they planned an initial print run of 15 million copies. The Guardian later reported Reform’s claim that the paper had been sent to 15 million people. The first figure refers to planned copies; the second is a claimed distribution total.
Reform insiders told the Guardian that later editions were expected monthly and that the party hoped the paper would attract members. The first issue also invited readers to apply as candidates for the May 2027 local elections, the Guardian reported.
