Reform UK’s surge in the polls is casting a spotlight on the party’s often conflicting positions on women and families, with key figures advocating for traditional social structures while proposing policies that have sparked accusations of misogyny and homophobia.
The party’s candidate in the Gorton and Denton by-election, Matt Goodwin, has called for young girls and women to be given a “biological reality” check regarding fertility. In a November 2024 YouTube video, he stated that “many women in Britain are having children much too late in life,” comments criticised as misogynistic. A Reform spokesperson said Goodwin was discussing peer-reviewed academic studies on psychological differences between men and women.
Goodwin has also suggested people without children should be taxed extra as punishment, while proposing the removal of personal income tax for women with two or more children. In a 2023 blog post, he argued the “British family is imploding” and advocated for a “pro-family culture” through a national family day and curriculum changes.
Traditionalist Vision from Policy Chief
Reform’s new head of policy, Dr James Orr, has been explicit in his views. At the Family Education Trust’s 2025 Annual Conference, he said “all the data shows that the children are better off, are best off with a mum and a dad, preferably in the house, preferably biologically related to them.” He described heterosexual couple families as “natural” and a “normative ideal” the state should help families aspire to. Orr, the UK chairman of the Edmund Burke Foundation and chair of the Centre for a Better Britain’s advisory board, is an outspoken critic of same-sex marriage and abortion.
On abortion, Dr Orr has described Britain’s laws as “extreme,” comparing the 24-week limit to North Korea, China, and Canada. This contrasts with the party’s official line; a Reform spokesperson said last year the party has no stance on abortion and no intention of changing current laws.
Leader Nigel Farage has faced similar controversy. In 2025, he was accused of “vile homophobia” for claiming straight couples are more stable than gay relationships. He has also suggested men are more prepared than women to sacrifice family lives for careers. Farage has criticised UK abortion laws as “totally out of date” and the 24-week limit as “ludicrous,” while reaffirming a pro-choice stance.
Policy Reversals and Internal Tensions
On fertility, Farage has proposed tax incentives for married couples and advocated removing the two-child benefit cap, calling it the “right thing to do.” However, he later admitted his “attempt at being pro-family has failed” as the party U-turned. Reform’s Treasury spokesman, Robert Jenrick, said the policy “has to go,” advocating to keep the cap. The party has also proposed front-loading child benefit for children aged 1-4 to enable mothers to take time off work.
Reform MP Danny Kruger, who defected from the Conservatives, told a National Conservatism conference that marriage between men and women was “the only basis for a safe and successful society.” In an abortion debate, he disagreed that pregnant women have an “absolute right to bodily autonomy,” later clarifying he supports the 1967 Abortion Act. Kruger has consistently voted against reproductive rights measures and co-founded The New Social Covenant Unit, which advocates strengthening families. In a blog post, he described marriage as “the regulation of baby-making.”
The party’s plan to scrap the Equality Act, announced by education and equalities spokesperson Suella Braverman, has raised concerns about impacts on maternity leave and discrimination protections. The Good Law Project accused Reform of “pitching for the votes of misogynists, homophobes, racists and antisemites.”
Broader Legal Landscape on Abortion
These debates unfold against a shifting legal backdrop. Abortion in England, Scotland, and Wales is permitted under the 1967 Abortion Act up to 23 weeks and 6 days, but remains within criminal law. In June 2025, MPs voted to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales, a reform designed to protect women while maintaining penalties for medical professionals and abusive partners. Northern Ireland decriminalised abortion in 2020. There is a movement to regulate abortion as healthcare, removing it from criminal statute.
As Reform UK gears up for an election, the divergence between its figures’ personal views and its stated policies on women and families presents a complex picture for voters navigating the party’s social agenda.
