Reform UK now has more members than the Conservative Party and is “the real opposition” according to Nigel Farage, while Kemi Badenoch has called his numbers “fake”.

According to a digital counter on the party’s website, Reform UK had gone past 131,690 members – the amount the Conservative Party declared before its leadership election in the autumn – just before midday on Boxing Day.

Mr Farage, party leader and MP for Clacton-on-Sea, hailed the “historic moment” and said on X: “The youngest political party in British politics has just overtaken the oldest political party in the world. Reform UK are now the real opposition.”

But Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused the party of issuing misleading figures: “Manipulating your own supporters at Xmas eh, Nigel?. It’s not real. It’s a fake… [the website has been] coded to tick up automatically.”

Posting on X, she added that the Tories had “gained thousands of new members since the leadership election”.

Reform UK also shared a video of the membership tracker being projected on to the Conservative Party headquarters in London overnight.

Zia Yusuf, party chairman, also said “history has been made today” and that the Tories’ “centuries-long stranglehold on the centre-right of British politics” has “finally been broken”.

Mr Farage hit back at Ms Badenoch, who strongly contested Reform UK’s figures. He claimed to have proof and posted a screenshot of an online register reportedly showing ‘active memberships’.

“We understand you are bitter, upset and angry that we are now the second biggest party in British politics, and that the Conservative brand is dying under your leadership. However, this not an excuse to accuse us of committing fraud,” he wrote on X.

Mr Yusuf added to the debate by appearing to goad Ms Badenoch about an audit: “We will gladly invite a Big 4 audit firm to verify our membership numbers on the basis that you do the same.”

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The Conservative party membership figure – shared after Kemi Badenoch was announced as the new leader on 2 November – was the lowest on record and a drop from the 2022 leadership contest, when there were around 172,000 members.

In response, a Conservative Party spokesman said: “Reform has delivered a Labour Government that has cruelly cut winter fuel payments for 10 million pensioners, put the future of family farming and food security at risk, and launched a devastating raid on jobs which will leave working people paying the price.

“A vote for Reform this coming May is a vote for a Labour council – only the Conservatives can stop this.”

According to research from the House of Commons Library, there is no uniformly recognised definition of party membership and no established method or body to monitor the number of members each political group has.

Reform UK was also originally set up as a limited company, but Mr Farage said he would change the party’s structure to be member-owned in September.

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It comes after Mr Farage offered to help Lord Mandelson, the new ambassador to the US, negotiate with president-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration.

A long-time associate of Mr Trump, he has been seen at several Republican events during and after the presidential election.

Kia introduced its new Syros SUV last week. Although it was launched with a gas-powered engine, Kia plans to launch the all-electric version soon. The new Kia Syros EV will share underpinnings with the Hyundai Inster EV as its latest low-cost electric model.

What we know about the upcoming Kia Syros EV

India’s EV market is expected to surge over the next few years. In 2024, the India EV market is projected to be valued at around $24 billion. That number is expected to reach nearly $118 billion by 2032.

Kia is looking to take advantage of the transition. After launching its first vehicle (Seltos) in India in 2019, Kia is already one of the top 10 auto manufacturers in the region.

The Korean auto giant has added several models to its lineup, including the Sonet, Carnival, Caren, and electric EV6 and EV9 SUVs.

Just last week, the Kia Syros made its global debut. Kia calls the compact SUV “revolutionary,” but there’s one problem: it only has two gas-powered engine options. That will soon change. According to Autocar India, Kia will launch the Syros EV in India in early 2025.

Although no other details were confirmed, the Kia Syros EV will share its K1 platform with the Hyundai Inster EV. Hyundai’s compact electric crossover has two battery options, 42 kWh and 49 kWh, good for 300 km (186 mi) to 355 km (220 mi) range on the WLTP cycle.

In Europe, the Inster EV starts at around $30,000. In Korea, the electric crossover is known as the Casper Electric, and prices, including incentives, start around $20,000.

Kia’s new electric SUV is expected to start in the price range of Rs 15 lakh-20 lakh (ex-showroom), or around $17,500 to $23,500.

Despite the difference in powertrain, the electric version is expected to have the same styling and features as the gas-powered models. Kia expects between 50,000 and 60,000 in sales between the upcoming electric Carens and Syros EV models by 2026.

The company is launching a series of more affordable, mass-market EVs globally, including the EV3, EV4, and EV5, to secure its spot in the industry as it shifts to electric vehicles.