EXCLUSIVE: The nation’s first pub dedicated to the new political party has opened in the back streets of one of the country’s most famous seaside towns.
The new Reform UK pub in Blackpool is said to be the first in the country (Image: Dave Nelson )
Brazen in bright light blue in Blackpool, Britain’s first Reform UK pub stands out in the faded glory of the backstreets of the seaside town. The sight of the new coat of paint certainly stunned one wide-eyed regular drinker who said he thought it looked like the pastel-coloured seafront properties of his beloved Tenby in South Wales when he clapped eyes on it.
Maintenance worker Phil Bennett, 66, who drinks in the pub seven days a week, said he shouted out “what’s going on?” when he first saw the turquoise coat of paint being added to his local boozer. He didn’t know it was becoming a Reform UK pub, but now it is the nation’s first, he told Express.co.uk: “I’m happy with it being a Reform pub, I think the country does need a change.”
It’s not the first time The Talbot, the moniker of this now headline-grabbing watering hole, has been through a transformation. An inscribed stone on the outside of the rambling building states it was once a Conservative Club dating back to 1927. But over time the Tory affiliation lapsed.
Drinker Phil Bennett, 66, said he was glad the pub had come out in support of Reform UK
And from the looks of the boarded-up metal door-clad houses in the streets surrounding the venue it seems like any interest from the Labour-run council has lapsed too.
Labour does still hold sway here, at least until local elections in May 2027, but surrounding the wards of downtown Blackpool is what one supporter called a “turquoise wave” seemingly threatening to wash away old party allegiances. In the recent Lancashire County Council elections, Reform won a staggering 35% of the vote, securing overall control and securing an astonishing 53 new councillors, while Labour and the Tories suffered massive losses managing to secure just five and eight seats respectively.
“When he told me he’d joined Reform, I said I’d already joined, and he said, ‘what?’” laughed Pete Flynn, 54, who co-owns The Talbot with business partner and licensee Nick Lowe, 58.
“We communicate all the time about business, but he told me nine months after I joined Reform that he’d joined. We decided to open a Reform pub because we watched the decimation of the Conservative Party, Liz Truss’s mini budget, the ousting of Boris Johnson.
“And Labour is not doing what the people want, people didn’t want the heating allowance cut off to OAPs, the people don’t want us to align with Europe.
“The only one who talks common sense is Nigel Farage”, adds Mr Flynn, who said he personally is known among his peers as a man of phrases. To illustrate his point, he says: “Farage has got his disco boots on, because he knows ‘dis goes’ here and ‘dis goes’ there.”
Co-owner Pete Flynn, Reform chair Mark Butcher, and co-owner Nick Lowe (Image: Dave Nelson )
“Rockstar” Nigel has yet to visit the pub, which boasts a number of snooker and pool tables and beef stew for sale on the day the Daily Express visited for just £2 a portion.
Like the drinking establishment from where he serves his punters an offer of two pints for £6 from 12 noon until 9pm, Mr Flynn’s business partner Mr Lowe was also once a Conservative. He said: “I am a Conservative voter, or I was, I felt sorry for Rishi Sunak, but I think the damage was done. Now under Labour, people can’t afford their bills, never mind council tax going up, they are creating a society where everyone is skint.”
Similar to much of the nation right now, paying the bills at the pub is a very real concern for Mr Lowe who said he’s paying a whopping £24,000 a year for his electricity bill.
“I have to make £325 a day just to make even”, he explained, “Everything has gone up, insurance, wages, National Insurance payments, the gas bill is around £500 a month.”
Mr Lowe, who plans to retire in Spain with his wife Marie, said word was spreading about The Talbot and they’d had people come from as far as Glasgow simply to drink in a Reform UK pub. He also said he’d had one cancellation from a charity because of what they called the “political” nature of the venue, but he said he’d had more bookings come in.
Speaking about his views on immigration, Mr Lowe said in his case to move to Spain he will need to pay for private medical insurance and have at least 34,000 euros in the bank for himself and his spouse.
“I had a guy who was originally from Hong Kong in yesterday, and he said he voted for Reform. We were talking about Hong Kong because my dad used to work for the General Electric Company as an electrical engineer and we lived in Hong Kong when I was a child, and I used to go to Beacon Hill School in Kowloon,” Mr Lowe said.
Snooker and pool tables inside the venue (Image: Dave Nelson )
“We were in Argentina for two years, so I can speak Spanish quite well. I’ve been around the world thanks to my dad.
“If someone wants to come over here legally, like I would have to do to get into Spain, have enough money in the bank and a visa, I’ve got no problem with that.”
Giving us a tour of the venue, Mr Lowe said there was once a spiral staircase going up to the stage upstairs which now sits in a room which can easily hold over 100 people. Past performers in the cavernous space include legendary comedy great, Sir Ken Dodd.
Since gaining attention for the Reform face-lift to the Talbot, Mr Flynn said he had seen accusations online that supporters of the party are ‘racist’.
“When England rugby union are playing Scotland up at Murrayfield, my best mate married a Scottish lass, and she puts on a Scottish rugby top and me and my friend go up there wearing England rugby tops”, said Mr Flynn, “It upset me being called a possible racist just because I fly the flag of my country. Yes, I fly the flag of the country because we want what’s best for the country.
“If you’re British you’re British, this includes Black, Asian, all ethnic minorities, people came here after the war when we needed help, and they’ve put a gun up for us and they are welcome.
“I’m against illegal migrants, legal immigrants I’d shake their hands, we need doctors and nurses, we do need qualified people. Don’t come in underhand on a boat, come in normally on an aeroplane and get your passport stamped and welcome to the country.”
Offers inside the pub including tempting cut-price food and drink options (Image: Richard Ashmore )
As well as prices on drinks and food that would make anyone in London very jealous, The Talbot also has a regular bingo game and thriving darts and pool teams.
Local Reform UK candidate Mark Butcher, volunteers twice weekly at the Blackpool soup kitchen charity he once ran for 12 years, Amazing Grace.
Like Mr Flynn, Mr Butcher grew up on a local council estate where he learned from his “role model” of a mum the difference between right and wrong and the importance of helping people.
Mr Butcher said places like The Talbot could soon be seen in every town in Britain. He said: “The Talbot is really exciting because it’s not only for the obvious reasons, it’s exciting for me because this is us knocking on the door of Labour’s social clubs, we’re going after their pubs, we’re not satisfied with just taking seats, we’re not satisfied with taking Parliamentary seats, we’re not satisfied winning councils, we’re going after their pubs and clubs and social clubs where the grassroots are. This is where politics really is.”
Wearing a bright light blue Reform tie, Mr Butcher said he only has to mention the party leader Nigel Farage on the campaign doorstep and people are hooked.
He added: “He’s been the absolute avalanche here, he took the roof of this place, he’s the rockstar of politics is what I say. He brings a real energy with him. I think the people have been so aching for this we really needed Nigel Farage to shake up the political landscape.”
Chef Colin Ogden, 67, whose creations include the £2 beef stew and vegetables on sale during our visit, is one of the people who is enamoured by the prospect of another Mr Farage visit.
With a knowing look, Mr Ogden said he might serve a special dish for when Mr Farage comes to the venue as it is now.
“You never know”, he nods, implying there could be a cake in the offing for such an occasion.
“I’m converted”, he adds, “Next election I will be voting Reform. The two-party system, either Labour or Conservative, I think that needs to be broken, we need someone who can serve up fresh ideas from a fresh party.”
