Party conference season is a defining fixture of British political life.
At these grand annual events, political parties gather their rank and file activists, refresh their visions and try to project energy, vitality and momentum to the country they hope to lead.
This last point is why British political parties attract and admit the press. Conferences are nationally important events, after all, and so a party is traditionally expected to give access to accredited journalists, including those who have reported unfavourably or critically on it.
Doing so demonstrates a party's commitment to free speech, debate and scrutiny - the very stuff of democratic politics.
Reform UK, however, has a different approach.
