Reform UK’s Exeter branch is under growing pressure to explain itself as some its most prominent local figures are associating – both online and on the ground – with the openly fascist Britain First.

Last Saturday Exeter witnessed the first far-right mobilisation in the city since the English Defence League’s appearance in 2013.

Though the turnout fell short of the promised 1,000, with only around 200 participants, the event marked a significant escalation in far-right street activity.

Mutual admiration

It was the latest episode in an anti-migrant campaign which has been building locally for the last few months, but it revealed growing mutual support and admiration between local Reform UK members and activists of Britain First.

The march contained the now standard mix of 2025-style far-right street activists – middle-aged men dressed up as crusaders, Knights Templar flags, football hooligans in Stone Island gear, and a small cohort of racist old ladies carrying ‘mass deportations now’ signs.

Britain First members were particularly prominent on the march. Nick Hubble remembered to wear his Union Jack suit, but forgot his raincoat. He appeared to have a bit of a sniffle but nevertheless looked ‘energised’ if rather wet.

Anti-racist counter-protesters, numbering around 1,000, vastly outnumbered the marchers. Despite this, police kettled anti-fascists while allowing the far-right to march freely through the city.

Reform UK Exeter later posted on social media praising the “patriots” who marched, and criticising the anti-fascist opposition, fuelling concerns about the local party’s alignment with the fascists of Britain First.

The nucleus of this new far-right campaign has been forming in recent months at weekly protests outside the Hampton by Hilton hotel near Exeter Airport.

The hotel houses only female refugees, children and family groups, but this has not deterred far-right activists from staging aggressive demonstrations.

These were initially inspired by Richard Donaldson’s Great British National Protest.

The two main Exeter organisers were Dutch Dudgeon, a Reform UK member who used to stand for UKIP in local elections, and Nigel ‘Nij’ Murfin from Britain First. The co-operation has continued ever since.

Death threats

Among the most notorious figures is Pete Heal, who regularly performs cut-throat gestures and issues death threats to counter-protesters. Heal led Saturday’s march.

Two prominent figures – Murfin and Reece Grant – were notably absent on Saturday.

Grant, a self-styled ‘citizen journalist’, is currently on bail for a racially-motivated public order offence after allegedly attempting to break into the hotel at night.

Core member and bodyguard

Murfin, a core member of Britain First and self-declared bodyguard to its leader Paul Golding, has played a leading role in far-right street movements across Devon.

His absence was odd given his usual presence at both the hotel protests and Sunday “Flag Force” events in Plymouth.

Murfin’s tactics include using a megaphone to publicly broadcast names and home addresses of local anti-fascists, whilst calling his opponents cowards for wearing face masks.

Then, on a Sunday, he attends ‘Flag Force’ protests in Plymouth, and stands in the middle of a gang of far-right football hooligans, who are all wearing face coverings.

Harassing women

He has two convictions for intent to cause harassment, alarm or distress to women and his online presence is equally provocative.

Crucially, he helps run the Facebook group “Our Exeter Our Plymouth,” which has become a hub for Britain First and Reform UK supporters.

One thing which unites them is hatred of Councillor Ed Hill, who was expelled from Reform UK earlier this year after complaining about election expenses lodged by fellow Reform councillor Neil Stevens.

Hill had been vocal in the hotel demonstrations but later called for the protests to be dropped as there were no single men being housed there.

This intervention led to a drop in attendance, with only 10-15 members of Britain First and their hangers-on remaining. They have never forgiven Hill for speaking out.

The Facebook group, moderated by Murfin, includes Neil Stevens and Robert Sheridan, Stevens’ election agent and a leading figure in Exeter Reform.

Sheridan has actively liked and commented on a number of posts by Murfin, including: attacks on counter-protest organisers; photos of Britain First supporters outside the hotel; advertisements for hotel protests, despite Reform UK’s stated opposition; and, most significantly, endorsements of Britain First’s “March for Remigration”.

Sheridan has also used it to repost promotional material for Councillor Stevens and Reform.

Stevens himself has used the Facebook page to post updates about the court case which arose from Hill’s complaints about his expenses, a case where he was cleared of any wrongdoing.

All of which raises the question: why are a Reform UK councillor and a senior local official engaging with an online group controlled by Britain First and why is a senior Reform figure endorsing far-right marches and propaganda?