New party Advance UK roars to life in Newcastle, overcoming threats and last-minute setbacks with a surge of patriotic support.
Advance UK, the fast-rising political movement led by Ben Habib, will launch today in Newcastle in front of a sold-out crowd of more than 400 people — despite a wave of phoned threats of violence that forced multiple venues to withdraw at the last minute.
The party says its original venue, the Crowne Plaza Hotel, pulled out just days before the launch after staff were subjected to anonymous phone threats, which it describes as part of an organised campaign from “the left.”
Habib described what he heard directly from the Crowne Plaza hotel’s manager:
“What [the manager] told me was horrific — that he had had multiple calls and threats made to him, made to the hotel and his staff by people who took exception to the fact that we were exercising our right to gather as a political party. Effectively, acts of violence were threatened against the Crowne Plaza Hotel in order to prevent them from hosting us in the way that we had agreed.”
In the days that followed, Habib’s team approached numerous alternative venues, many of which also declined over phone threat fears. Yesterday at the eleventh hour, a venue stepped forward, and the team has worked tirelessly to pull together an event for 400 people in under 24 hours.
An Advance UK spokesperson was blunt:
“Phoned-in threats were used to try to cancel a lawful, peaceful political event. That is intimidation, pure and simple. We’re grateful to the final venue for standing up to pressure… and the launch will go ahead. We will not be beaten. We will not be silenced. Those who despise our country will not stop us.”
“Patriotism isn’t extremism”
Advance UK says the threats, and attempts to label the party “far-right”, highlight a disturbing trend in British politics.
Habib responded defiantly:
“There can be no place for peaceable political discourse in the United Kingdom if those who disagree with your point of view take it upon themselves to either threaten violence or perpetrate violence. The violence here is being threatened by those who claim Advance UK has certain political views. There can be no greater repugnancy than the threat of violence.”
The party added:
“We are patriotic, not ‘far-right’. Our mission is the nation-state, free speech, democracy, and equality under the law. Some on the left are trying to hijack the conversation with labels and smears. We’ll answer with facts, policy, and peaceful assembly.”
Why Newcastle?
Habib said the choice of Newcastle was deliberate and symbolic:
“Newcastle, in many ways, is representative of the United Kingdom that was once so glorious. It is a phenomenal city… but like so many parts of the United Kingdom, it has been overlooked for decades by successive governments. Launching in Newcastle made perfect sense for Advance UK because what we wish to do is to restore the United Kingdom, in all its parts and for all its people, to its former glory.”
Fastest-growing movement in modern British politics
Advance UK has recruited more than 35,000 members in less than three months, plus a further 15,000 supporters, a pace it says is unprecedented in modern British politics. This surge has been achieved without mainstream media coverage, instead powered by grassroots energy, social media, and independent platforms.
The movement has even caught the attention of global figures. Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, has publicly said Advance UK “will actually drive change,” a statement the party says underlines its disruptive potential.
“Come hell or high water”
For Habib, today’s launch represents both defiance and determination:
“As I said on X myself, come hell or high water, we will be in Newcastle on Saturday. We come utterly in peace, with nothing more than the best interests of people in Newcastle, the North East, and right across the United Kingdom.”
Advance UK is now in the process of registering formally with the Electoral Commission. More events are being scheduled nationwide in the weeks ahead. The party stands for national sovereignty, free speech, democracy, and equality under UK law. Its mission is to restore confidence, independence and pride in Britain.
Watch the Advance UK launch at 3pm live here: https://www.youtube.com/live/t6W0JpfaR9U?si=bqWQaexBxWDQidX9
Main Image: The Tyne bridges, including the Tyne Bridge and the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, with the skyline of Newcastle upon Tyne in the background, as seen from the Baltic Gallery, Gateshead by JimmyGuano. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
