Advance UK is a political party in the United Kingdom led by Ben Habib, the former Co-Deputy Leader of Reform UK. The organisation was founded in late 2024 as the Integrity Party before it was launched under its current name on 30 June 2025. Advance UK is placed on the far-right of the political spectrum.
Habib had previously served as Deputy Leader of Reform UK, but subsequently fell out with Nigel Farage after his removal from the position. In November 2024, he left Reform UK due to ideological differences and disagreements over the party's structure. Having set out his intention to form a party positioned to the right of Reform, in April 2025 he took control of the Integrity Party. In June 2025, he announced Advance UK as a political party, with a 'college' that has the power to select the leader and can advise on policy.
The party advocates for positions such as the deportation of all illegal migrants in the United Kingdom, the removal of supranational institutions and international law, and promoting Christian cultural values. It has also referred to suspending all asylum applications, banning the burqa, niqab, and call to prayer, and "onshoring" industries that have moved abroad.
Ben Habib, a former Member of the European Parliament for the Brexit Party, became Deputy Leader of Reform UK in October 2023. In April 2024, Habib faced criticism after he suggested that asylum seekers who are drowning in the English Channel should "suffer the consequences of their actions". He stood as a parliamentary candidate on two occasions; first at the 2024 Wellingborough by-election, and later in Wellingborough and Rushden at the 2024 United Kingdom general election where he placed third with 21.5% of the vote.
On 11 July 2024, Habib was replaced as Deputy Leader by Richard Tice, and said he was "considering [his] position more generally in light of this change". In September 2024, he criticised Reform UK's new constitution, saying that it was undemocratic, and challenged whether it had been drafted by legal experts.
On 28 November 2024, Habib said he was leaving Reform UK citing "fundamental differences" with Farage over Brexit and concerns about the party's structure. He also said there were "ideological issues" as Habib supported "mass deportations". In January 2025, Farage responded to a question about the impact that Habib's departure could have, saying "none whatsoever".
On 7 April 2025, Habib became the director of the Integrity Party, a political organisation founded by Christian Russell and Richard Shaw in late 2024. Habib said that he was forming a new party 'to the right of Reform', and that the name would be changed. He later stated that Elon Musk had urged him to set up a new party in January 2025.
On 30 June 2025, Habib launched the political party as Advance UK, and pledged to donate ã100,000 to the party when it gained 30,000 members. The launch coincided with that of Restore Britain, a pressure group established by another former Reform UK representative, Rupert Lowe. In early August, prominent far-right activist Tommy Robinson joined the party as a member. On 27 August, Elon Musk wrote in support of the party, saying: "Advance UK will actually drive change. Farage is weak sauce who will do nothing". At Tommy Robinson's 'Unite the Kingdom' march in central London on 13 September, Advance UK were one of the event sponsors. Habib led a speech at the rally, which saw an estimated 110,000 to 150,000 people in attendance.
The party was due to have its inaugural launch event on 27 September at a council-owned hotel in Newcastle; however, following an online protest, it was cancelled by the hotel management on "health and safety grounds". Kim McGuinness, the North East Mayor, wrote that Tommy Robinson "doesn't belong here", whilst Habib told members that the launch event would still go ahead. The party was registered with the Electoral Commission to run candidates in Great Britain on 4 December 2025.
On 8 December, Nicola Brown, a local councillor in Doncaster, defected to Advance UK after leaving Reform UK for the second time. On 5 January 2026, another Doncaster councillor also defected. Two days later, seven town and parish councillors in Derbyshire joined the party. On 16 January, Paul Bean, a Durham County Councillor who had been suspended from Reform UK over comments about asylum seekers, joined Advance UK. On 19 January, a borough councillor in the Amber Valley defected to the party. On 30 January, two councillors, who had previously left Reform UK, defected to the party on Devon County Council.
On 7 February 2026, Advance UK held an event to announce its policies at the Emmanuel Centre in London. The venue, owned by an evangelical church, was criticised by Christians for a Welcoming Britain for hosting what they described as a âÂÂfarâÂÂright political conferenceâÂÂ, after Advance UK proposed suspending all asylum claims and prohibiting the burqa, niqab, and call to prayer. On 15 February, Habib stated that he would consider a possible merger between Advance UK and Restore Britain.
Advance UK announced Nick Buckley, who previously stood for Mayor of Greater Manchester, as their candidate in the 2026 Gorton and Denton by-election, held on 26 February 2026. Buckley campaigned to reduce knife crime and anti-social behaviour, and placed seventh with 154 votes (0.4%).
Advance UK has been described by media outlets and journalists as both a far-right and right-wing party, as hard right, and as nationalist. Habib has stated there is no longer a division between right and left in UK politics, but between âÂÂthose who believe in global principles and so-called liberalism, and those who actually believe in a nation state, borders, and sovereigntyâÂÂ. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation described Advance UK's founding conference in the North East as "a troubling development" and labelled the party as right-wing. An article from the Ethnic and Racial Studies outlined how the party was adopting anti-migrant sentiments, and alliances that were promoting racism through themes of migration, crime, and civilisational decline.
Anna Gross of the Financial Times wrote that Habib was working to prevent Farage from winning the next UK general election, as the more hard-line Advance UK could take votes from those who consider Farage too moderate. Further, Alex Kane of The Irish News suggested that Advance UK was "in danger of becoming an anti-Farage party rather than a genuine alternative to Reform". Patrick English, director of political analytics at YouGov, said that the party "certainly might have the potential to be disruptive but they'll need to work very hard to find people capable of fronting it".
Advance UK says it "promotes and celebrates the nation's Christian constitution, roots, traditions, culture, and values", as well as freedom of speech, the dismantling of supranational institutions and international law, and the deportation of all illegal immigrants, including women and children. As leader, Habib has called for the UK to âÂÂonshoreâ all industries âÂÂfrom steel, to food, to energyâÂÂ, and supports the imposition of protective tariffs.
Advance UK has a "college of independent experts", who have the power to elect the leader and remove them through a vote of no confidence, and can advise on policy making. Among those recruited for the college include Howard Cox and Katie Waissel.
In April 2025, Habib said that the Integrity Party had gained 600 members and raised ã18,000. By early September, two months after its launch, the party had 29,000 paying members, and on 25 September, Habib said there were "35,000 plus members". In November 2025, Sky News reported that Advance UK had over 37,000 members. By December, the party claimed to have 40,000 members. In February 2026, Habib said he had put ã100,000 into the party and that it had raised ã600,000 from other sources.
According to Nation.Cymru, Richard Taylor served as leader of Advance UK in Wales until January 2026. Taylor resigned after calling for the expulsion of Islam, and saying that David Lammy should âÂÂgo back to the CaribbeanâÂÂ. Pete Prosser was subsequently appointed as the director in Wales.
In July 2025, Habib told the News Letter that he hoped to would work alongside the Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) in Northern Ireland. Advance UK has 600 members in the region, and is preparing to register there. In March 2026, Lorna Smyth, a former TUV candidate, became director in Northern Ireland.
As of 31 March 2026.