Campaigners have warned that Reform UK has become a “political refuge for anti-abortion politicians” amid fears Britain could see a US-style politicisation of the issue.
Pro-choice activists have raised the alarm after several political figures who have previously called for greater restrictions on abortion defected to Nigel Farage’s party.
Abortion Rights, a UK campaign group, said Reform UK is “fast becoming the political refuge for anti-abortion hardliners”, accusing the party of “proudly embracing anti-choice politics”.
Experts have said that while abortion is largely been medicalised in the UK, the issue risks becoming politicised in a similar way that has been seen in the US.
“We’ve been seeing US style anti-abortion politics in the UK for a long time,” Kerry Abel, chair of Abortion Rights said.
“The new dynamic with Reform is that they seem to be capitalising on immigration rhetoric and increasingly – as we’ve noticed since the end of 2024 – speaking about abortion and family values generally.
“It’s been a tactic by anyone who is anti-choice to look to the US, but I think this is a sign of where Reform are going with this.”
She added: “I think it’s cynical, and Nigel Farage is throwing it into the basket to see if it works. The defections from anti-choice MPs and ex-MPs are showing that it is working.”
A Reform spokesperson said the party does not have a stance on abortion and has no intention of making changes to the current abortion laws.
But among those who have defected are Danny Kruger, who said in a parliamentary debate on the US abortion ban in 2022 that he disagreed pregnant women had an “absolute right to bodily autonomy”. He later said his position had been “misunderstood”.
Former Tory MP Maria Caulfield defected to Reform UK in September and has previously voted to restrict abortion access and has opposed buffer zones around clinics.
Nadine Dorries, another former Conservative MP who has defected to Reform, has previously called for the abortion time limit to be reduced in the UK, while Ann Widdecombe has also expressed anti-abortion views throughout her career.
Last November, Nigel Farage sparked criticism after saying parliament should debate rolling out stricter limits on abortion for women – suggesting the current time limit may need to be made shorter.
He has since made similar comments, saying earlier this year that it is “ludicrous we allow abortion up to 24 weeks” and that the law is “totally out of date”.
Professor of medical law at LSE Emily Jackson explained that the law in the UK has traditionally relied on doctors’ discretion to treat their patients appropriately, unlike in the US abortion is a major political issue.
“Abortion has been largely de-politicised in the UK. It’s been medicalised and relies on doctors’ discretion – who largely allow patients to exercise the right to choose,” said Professor Jackson, who specialises in reproductive issues.
“Medicalisation of abortion in the UK has meant it’s not been used as a political football as it has in the US – so it is alarming to see far-right populist politicians attempting to change that.”
Other experts said that anti-abortion movements in the UK link in with wider political issues, with lobbying often funded by campaign groups.
“What we’re seeing is a consolidation of anti-abortion politics in the UK, and it’s been seeking more attention – although it has been happening for a long time,” Dr Rishita Nandagiri, lecturer in global health and social medicine at King’s College London said.
“It’s not just in the US, I think what we’ve been seeing is greater attention partly because that’s where the money is. But it’s not just abortion, it is part of a larger anti-rights issue including things such as anti-immigration.
“Reform have five MPs, who get a lot of air time and space and their ideology is anti all of these rights, not just abortion.”
The warning has been echoed by Humanists UK, who said anti-abortion is one pillar of Christian Nationalism that they say is on the rise in the UK, but is common in US politics.
“We’ve been banging the drum about this for years. It’s a feature of right wing authoritarian parties across the west that they get tangled up in Christian Nationalism,” Andrew Copson, chief executive of Humanists UK, said.
“Politicians have not really woken up to Christian nationalism in the UK. It is a big threat, a growing threat and people aren’t equipped to deal with it because they can’t name it, understand it and deal with it.”
He explained that anti-abortion sentiment has multiple links to Christian nationalism, and asked whether Reform UK are at the forefront of this in the UK, Mr Copson said: “I think Reform are positioning themselves that way now, I don’t think there’s any doubt about that being where they are going.”
He added: “While their voters are generally pro-abortion and assisted dying, they get tangled up in anti-abortion, anti-scientific stuff because the fact is, that is where the money is.
“Danny Kruger going over to Reform is a sign of this, all of the signs are that Reform is the party calculating to appeal to those people.”
A Reform UK spokesman said: “The party does not have a stance on abortion. We consider it an issue of conscience, and our members and representatives hold a diverse range of views. Reform UK has no intention of making changes to the current abortion laws.”
