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Richard Tice tells KCL students the UK must ‘leave the ECHR’ and scrap net zero for growth as hecklers brand him a ‘Nazi’

Credit to: Alexandra Lifshitz

Deputy Leader of Reform UK, Richard Tice, faced heckles at King’s College London (KCL) on the evening of Thursday 9 October, at a tightly controlled Q&A hosted by the KCL Politics Society and chaired by its President, Will Andrews. Reform UK currently leads in national voting intention polls. 

The MP for Boston and Skegness, who was elected in 2024, opened with a ten-minute speech on foreign affairs, including news about a ceasefire in Gaza, the collapse of the China “spy” case, and the British economy.

Britain’s economy, he said, was in “serious trouble”, blaming “overtaxation, wasteful government spending and overregulation”.

Tice used the rest of the event as an opportunity to set out Reform’s position on migration, climate change, local government and economic policies to a student audience.

King’s College London was praised, with Tice telling students they are “lucky” not to attend a “lesser university, where degrees are not worth the paper they are written on.” He reflected on the party’s transformational plans for university degrees, noting that some degrees should take one or two years to reduce the amount of student loan debt. 

In reference to KCL’s heavily international student population, Tice acknowledged their benefits for the economy and community, however, criticising graduate visa programmes staying: “I can’t think of any other nation where studying gives you the right to stay here forever.”

Credit to: Alexandra Lifshitz

During the event, two attendees interrupted the Q&A to denounce Tice and his party’s immigration stance, alleging him to be a career politician benefitting from identity politics, further calling him a “common liar”, a “shitstain”, and a “Nazi.” The two hecklers also proclaimed towards Tice: “There is nothing patriotic about your bigotry.”

Andrews reminded the crowd of the opportunity to ask questions at the end of the event, invoking the university’s Safe Space rules, which ensure an inclusive, harassment-free environment that balances free speech with respect, and requesting the support of KCLSU staff members before the hecklers voluntarily exited the event. 

Tice responded to their wider comments on blaming migration, claiming Reform UK holds the view that: “[Current] economic issues are the fault of government policy and not migration.” He also welcomed their comment, praising the benefits of democracy, allowing them to voice their opinions.

On rights law and migration, Tice restated Reform’s pledge to leave the European Convention on Human Rights and repeal the Human Rights Act, arguing Britain should “trust our own judges” rather than rely on “an overseas court”. The party re-committed to ECHR withdrawal in August.

The Reform Deputy Leader was prompted to expand on the party’s recent announcement of scrapping Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) status. He criticised those on ILR who “claim substantial housing and welfare benefits, at the expense of those who are working as a lifestyle choice”, and claimed the current migration system is not “smart” when it comes to high-skill immigration.

He noted there would be some exceptions to the policy for “those who have been here for a long time,” however, there was no clarification on who this includes. Instead, he suggested anyone on ILR who is married or working should apply for British citizenship.

Roar questioned Tice on the long-term implications of the United Kingdom departing from the ECHR, drawing on the example of controversial ICE raids taking place in the US, where international human rights restrictions differ.

Tice reinforced his party’s focus on leaving the ECHR for migration enforcement: “Our policy is to leave the ECHR and to do that you actually have to rebuild the Human Rights Act.” He told the audience: “[The ECHR] is part of the reason why economic growth is lower”, as “the majority of countries that run the world are not members of the ECHR.”

Roar proceeded to ask Tice if he condemned ICE raids and the detention of migrants in the US, to which he responded: “What you can’t do is accept illegal immigration because that’s not fair on the existing population.” He then praised Trump’s clampdown on illegal migration and drew it back to the UK, setting out: “You can’t come here illegally and expect it’s all okay at the expense of the British taxpayer.”

Credit to: Alexandra Lifshitz

The party’s energy policy drew a further dividing line, with Tice branding a shake-up of the status quo as “common sense”. He set out that while he “loves” his Tesla, [Net Zero] should be a personal choice, and “by scrapping net zero we can bring bills down and help the poorest.” He stated that Britain “cannot be a rich nation without cheap energy,” and that we should take advantage of the “energy treasure under our feet.”

Early in the evening, Tice highlighted that in his view, Reform exists due to the economic failures of both Labour and the Conservatives. He reflected on changes needed in the counselling system: “If we don’t save money in these councils, they’re all going to go bust,” pointing towards drastic rises in applications for SEND, a programme that supports children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, as the leading factor for budget constraints. 

Roar also questioned Tice about the party’s contradictory economic policies. The Deputy Leader rejected James Cleverly’s branding of Nigel Farage as a socialist at the Conservative Party Conference earlier this week, instead devising the term “con-socialist” to describe the previous Conservative government’s tax policies. 

He acknowledged that their policy to scrap the two-child benefit cap on fairness grounds for working families and nationalising British Steel as a strategic asset wasn’t “communicated very well.”

Roar also asked Tice his response to recent data that displayed 71% of women aged 18-24 strongly dislike the party. His response focused instead on the flaws of the Online Safety Act and how children need to be prevented from using VPNs through new British technology that stops pornographic images from appearing. 

A trans student from the audience questioned Tice on whether the teaching of trans identity in schools is confusing children. He claimed children are being taught about 100 genders, of which he claims he listed 72 on Talk TV last year. The audience member asked Tice, “Do you think I confuse children?” to which his reply was hesitant. He also claimed how fantastic it was that he has “lots of friends who are gays.”

Another audience member highlighted racism and misogyny they heard at the Unite the Kingdom protests in London last month. “We want nothing to do with the likes of Tommy Robinson,” the Deputy Reform leader responded.

Grace Holloway is Roar's editor-in-chief managing the editorial side of our operation as well. She has gained valuable experience from Bloomberg as well as writing for Breaking Media, the Non-League Paper and Politics UK.

Associate Editor at Roar News

Rayhan Hussain is the Associate Editor at Roar News, having been the paper’s Comment Editor and Staff Writer between 2023 and 2025. During that time, he studied Politics at King’s College London and is currently undertaking an MA in Government Studies at King’s. Rayhan has also gained experience with The Times and The Telegraph - and recently interned at Edelman, the world's largest communication firm. At Roar, Rayhan has reported on high-profile campus stories, shaped student discourse through his editorial work, and moderated events with prominent journalists.

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