REFORM UK APPOINTS RAF WING COMMANDER AS ARMED FORCES SPOKESMAN

Reform UK is set to unveil Wing Commander Angus MacIntyre as its armed forces spokesman and shadow armed forces minister on Thursday. Mr MacIntyre ended a 40-year military career last week, stepping down from the RAF Regiment to take up the role. Confirming the appointment, he said: "Earlier this year, Nigel said he wanted people from outside of politics with real-world experience to come and help Reform UK fix broken Britain. Last week I ended a 40-year military career to answer that call." Reform officials said his military record exceeds the combined 31 years served by Labour's two defence spokespeople.

Mr MacIntyre's 40-year career began in the British Army in 1986, including service with the 17th/21st Lancers. He transferred to the RAF Regiment in 1999 and completed tours in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Somalia. He also served in Northern Ireland and Brunei. He most recently worked at NATO headquarters in Brussels, spending four years on UK support for Ukraine after Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The appointment follows criticism that Reform UK had not prioritised defence policy, and questions over whether Mr Farage's remarks reflect sympathy towards Russian President Vladimir Putin. Comments made by Mr Farage days after Russia's 2022 invasion resurfaced this week, in which he said he "understood" why Putin had annexed Crimea and called him a "rational player". He described Crimea and the Donbas region as "Russian-speaking communities" that "would rather be part of a greater Russia." Scrutiny of the party's links to Russia has also included the case of Nathan Gill, a former Reform leader in Wales, sent to prison for taking bribes from Moscow.