Overview

• Farage’s letter to the prime minister demands the right for Reform UK to nominate life peers, citing over 4.1 million votes in the 2024 general election and recent local-government gains.
• Media outlets have linked figures such as Ann Widdecombe, billionaire donor Nick Candy and former party chairman Zia Yusuf as possible nominees.
• Defence Secretary John Healey dismissed the request by calling Farage a “Putin apologist” and questioned the value of adding his allies to the Lords.
• Downing Street has yet to formally reply to the demand, keeping the prime minister’s discretion over opposition peerages in the spotlight.
• The episode has reignited debate over the prime minister’s sole authority on peerages, the role of patronage and the future of the unelected upper chamber.