French far-right leader Jordan Bardella is set to speak at Reform UK’s party conference in Birmingham next week, as he looks to strengthen international alliances ahead of Marine Le Pen’s run for the French presidency next spring.
Le Pen’s far-right, anti-immigration National Rally (RN) party is performing well in the polls, and she is expected to make it to the final round of the French presidential election in May.
Le Pen kicked off her presidential campaign this summer, even though a Paris appeal court upheld her conviction for being at the center of a scheme that embezzled over €2.8 million (£2.4 million) in European Parliament funds, which were funneled into her party between 2004 and 2016. She has appealed the ruling to France’s highest court.
Le Pen, who leads the RN in the National Assembly and headed the party from 2011 to 2021, has said she will run for president with Bardella as her prime minister. Under France’s political system, the president—who serves as head of state and oversees foreign policy and national security—directly appoints a prime minister to manage domestic affairs.
Bardella’s team confirmed he will travel to Birmingham to address the Reform UK conference next Friday and hold a joint press conference with party leader Nigel Farage.
Bardella, 30, and Farage, 62, had a private lunch in London late last year, where they discussed anti-immigration policy.
“Nigel Farage is a great patriot, he has fought all his life to defend his country’s independence, freedom and sovereignty,” Bardella told the Guardian after their talks. He said he hoped the Reform leader would become Britain’s next prime minister.
Bardella added: “We could perhaps tomorrow be at the head of our respective governments, in a situation where he would be leading a British government and me at the head of a French government. So we’re preparing our future cooperation.”
“I think that we share a joint determination to stop immigration – to protect our countries from a wave of immigration to Europe that is just beginning. We’re conscious that our people want to protect their identity, and I think we can find extremely pragmatic and extremely firm solutions to control immigration together.”
Bardella, who is a member of the European Parliament and president of RN, has backed tighter police cooperation between London and Paris on migrants crossing the Channel in small boats, but wants those migrants returned to their countries of origin rather than sent to France.
In the past, Le Pen has had a rocky relationship with Farage. In 2014, when Farage led Ukip and her party was still called the Front National (FN), the two were competing to be seen as the EU’s leading eurosceptics in European Parliament elections. That year, Farage rejected Le Pen’s suggestion that Ukip could join a European Parliament coalition with the FN, citing “prejudice and antisemitism” in her party. She dismissed his comments, saying Farage had made “defamatory” and “extremely disagreeable declarations” to boost his own popularity.
The Reform UK leader was recently re-elected in a by-election in Clacton. However, parliament’s standards commissioner has reopened an investigation into whether he should have declared a series of gifts he received shortly before the last general election. These include a £5 million personal gift from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne, first revealed by the Guardian, as well as further financial support from his friend George Cottrell, who has been convicted of fraud.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs about Jordan Bardella speaking at the Reform UK party conference written in a natural and accessible tone
General Questions
1 Who is Jordan Bardella
Jordan Bardella is a French politician He is the president of the National Rally which is Frances main farright political party He is known for being a young mediasavvy leader with a strong social media presence
2 What is the Reform UK party
Reform UK is a rightwing political party in the United Kingdom led by Nigel Farage It was originally launched as the Brexit Party before being rebranded Its main goals include reducing immigration cutting taxes and reforming public institutions like the BBC and the House of Lords
3 Why is Jordan Bardella speaking at their conference
He is speaking to show solidarity and build closer ties between rightwing populist parties across Europe Its a way for both parties to appear stronger by showing they are part of a broader international movement It also helps them share ideas and campaign tactics
4 Is this a common thing for politicians to do
Yes its common for political parties that share similar ideologies to invite each others leaders to their events Its a way to boost morale attract media attention and signal a united front on issues like immigration and national sovereignty
5 When and where is this happening
The Reform UK party conference is scheduled for late September 2025 in Birmingham England Bardella is expected to speak on the final day of the event
Questions About the Politics and Impact
6 What does this visit mean for the relationship between France and the UK
On an official government level very little These are opposition parties not governments However it signals a growing alignment between nationalist movements in both countries If either party were to gain power in the future this relationship could become very significant
7 Does this mean Nigel Farage and Jordan Bardella agree on everything
No not on everything While they share core views on immigration and national sovereignty they have differences For example Bardella has been critical of some of the UKs postBrexit trade deals and their domestic economic policies are tailored to their own countries
8 Why is this visit considered controversial
Its controversial because
