Inside Reform's 'prawn cocktail offensive' and the Tory super-donor in the room

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GB News shares what really happened when Reform UK rolled out its red carpet to corporate Britain

"This is Reform's biggest and boldest engagement with the business community to date," Reform UK's external affairs chief Matthew Mackinnon told GB News.

The NEC in Birmingham had a rather different feel on Thursday compared to Reform conference seasons in years gone by.

While previous years have been dominated by turquoise-clad activists flooding England's second city, Reform fixated its efforts in this year's extended conference with a day dedicated to business.

"Hundreds of business delegates attended from every sector of the British economy," Mr Mackinnon added.

"Businesses are eager to hear fresh perspectives from Reform and our business day is a chance for high-level engagement between senior members of Reform and the business community."

The event marked a sea change from Reform's wooing operation last year, when Zia Yusuf marched into the Heathrow Lounge to address a gaggle of business bosses.

Reform sold out this year's £395 plus VAT business dinner weeks before doors opened, while commercial attendance has reportedly doubled compared to last year.

Mr Mackinnon, the ex-Vote Leave Wales chief who is handing over the reins to UK Finance veteran John Gill while he goes on paternity leave, has spent months courting the City.

The Taff-toned operator regularly updates his LinkedIn connections on Reform's latest manoeuvres, including with snaps from roundtable meetings headed up by Zia Yusuf, Richard Tice and Danny Kruger.

Mr Mackinnon even made his mark ahead of a key Tory speech in the City, with one attendee quietly singing Reform's praises just moments before Kemi Badenoch took to the stage.

City breakfasts and West End dinners have also helped bolster Reform's standing across the Square Mile, despite Mr Yusuf directly going after a number of major firms.

Vodafone, which came under fire over giving out sim cards to thousands of illegal migrants, still opted to attend the NEC as an event sponsor.

Robert Jenrick, Reform UK's self-styled Shadow Chancellor, was listed on the panel of Vodafone's event and later appeared at events dedicated to the City and wider economic growth.

Meanwhile, Reform's business spokesman Richard Tice attended a session on the "price of power" alongside Cadent Gas chief Faisal Haroon, Fuels Industry UK's chief executive Elizabeth De Jong, energy consultant Kathryn Porter and Adam Smith Institute executive director Jasper Ostle.

And events ranged from transport to manufacturing and farming to regulation, with organisations FirstGroup, Make UK, the National Farmers' Union and the Urban Transport Group among those involved.

However, it wasn't all plain sailing after some of the event hosts were initially denied access by mistake due to the range of tickets on sale.

But a list shared with GB News showed 22 major companies had made an appearance at the NEC, including a number once staunchly associated with the Conservative Party.

JCB, founded by the Brexit-backing business tycoon Lord Bamford, returned to the conference hall for a second consecutive year as a named exhibitor.

The ex-Tory peer and his company have donated more than £10million to the Conservative Party over the years.

However, Lord Bamford donated £200,000 to Reform UK last November, with Nigel Farage later hailing JCB's pothole-fixing machine in a stunt similar to Boris Johnson's tractor act with the same manufacturer.

Reform UK parked its financial tanks on Tory lawns following the 2024 General Election.

Christopher Harborne, a cryptocurrency tycoon who once loyally supported the Conservatives, was among the high-profile switchers.

But Mr Farage landed himself in hot water with some in the City after failing to declare a £5million gift from Mr Harborne.

"People are weighing up the risk and reward of Reform," an industry source said.

"When the rise was meteoric, we had no choice, but now that's plateaued, the risk has returned."

Mr Farage, who denies any wrongdoing, remains the subject of a parliamentary standards investigation despite winning last month's Clacton by-election.

Despite Mr Farage's recent woes leading to a poll drop, Reform UK is still winning the donor battle.

Reform UK has registered £9.36million worth of donations in 2026, leaving the Tories in second with £6million and Labour on just £4.1million.

While crypto dominated Reform's early cash injections, 2026 conference season suggests a switch in the party's commercial ambition.

Crypto was everywhere in 2025, with Reform's pro-Bitcoin pitch drawing digital-asset companies into the NEC and Mr Yusuf appearing alongside Aave founder Stani Kulechov.

Twelve months on, the crypto crowd feels quieter as a considerably broader range of corporate heavyweights enter the room.

And GB News understands Reform's tussle with the Tories for the North Sea has lured energy executives down to Birmingham.

But Reform's rise among business bosses is also fuelled by a factor out of Mr Farage's control.

A Square Mile insider told The People's Channel: "Burnham has signalled he wants to nationalise industries, and that has made people very nervous.

"It is probably more important than ever for the private sector to engage with Labour and the other main parties."

Business chiefs had to pay £650 a pop, plus VAT, of course, to make the pilgrimage up to England's second city.

Others coughed up £3,000 for the opportunity to sip champagne with Nigel Farage over breakfast.

However, the bill is lower than the commercial packages offered to attend other political conferences.

Labour is charging industry bosses around £2,425 for full access, while the Tory bill ranges from £1,485 to £3,500.

The turquoise hordes may have been replaced by suits, champagne and corporate name badges, but Reform's business offensive is about much more than appearances.

For Mr Farage, it is part of a broader professionalisation of a party that once looked more like a political insurgency than a Government-in-waiting.

For the businesses filing into the NEC, it is a rather different calculation — making sure they have a relationship with the political force that could one day be running the country.

The prawn cocktail offensive, it seems, is only just getting started.