Reform UK says it will make a big dent in London
BBCReform UK has launched its London election campaign saying it was confident of winning councils in the capital for the first time.
The party's leader Nigel Farage told BBC London: "We are seriously competitive in Croydon, in Bromley, in Bexley, in Havering, and maybe two or three others.
"So we're going to make a big dent in London over the course of the next few weeks."
There were fireworks on stage as Farage walked on to address a large crowd at Fairfield Halls in Croydon but some hecklers were forcefully removed and there was an anti-racism protest outside the south London venue.
Farage shouted: "Boring" as the protesters were led out of the auditorium and the word "Boring" flashed up on the big screen - suggesting the organisers may had been expecting such a protest.
'We are not having it'
Earlier, anti-racism protesters had gathered outside the venue chanting slogans including: "Shame on you" and "Off our streets".
Michael Holland from Croydon Stand Up To Racism, which organised the protest, said Farage was "not welcome in Croydon" because "he ferments division and we are not having it."
He added: "We are a multicultural town, the vast majority of people in Croydon are anti-racist and we get on brilliantly together."
Another protester, Paris Wilder, said immigrants were "not the reason why house prices are skyrocketing and the cost of living is skyrocketing, and Reform and Nigel Farage are using that as a scapegoat".
There are all-out elections in London's 32 boroughs on 7 May, with a total of 1,817 seats being contested in the capital.
Reform UK currently has just 13 councillors in London, although one of those seats was won in a by-election.
But with the party riding high in the polls, this year could be its best chance yet to make inroads into London.
The slogan emblazoned in big letters on stage at the rally read "Reform will fix it" and that was very much the theme of Farage's message to his supporters as he referred to London as being a "once great city" that he claimed was now "broken".
He said Croydon was "probably the worst-run council in the country".
Farage denied his party had promised to cut council tax, despite Reform UK leaflets last year saying the party would reduce waste and cut taxes.
He said: "Never once did I say that we would cut council tax, never ever once, because they're all skint, you know, I mean just as Croydon is, they're all in trouble."
A large section of the audience at the event was filled with prospective Reform UK candidates who were ushered onto the stage at the end as a show of force.
There have been some suggestions the party has been struggling to attract enough candidates to run a full slate across all of London's 1,817 council seats.
Responding to that, Farage said: "It's a massive challenge.
"We're on the case. We will have a very high percentage of London seats covered.
"If we don't cover them all, then I apologise to voters who would like to have the chance to vote for us."
His message was well received by his supporters in the hall.
Among them was a sixteen year old from Croydon, who will be too young to vote in May, but said he was there because he thought the government was "not doing a good job".
He explained: "Look at simple things like potholes for example, you look at stealing in local shops, these are local businesses losing money… these problems need to be fixed and Reform are going to fix them."
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