Richard Tice
Tice in 2018
Leader of Reform UK
Assumed office
6 March 2021
DeputyDavid Bull
Ben Habib
Preceded byNigel Farage
Chairman of Reform UK[lower-alpha 1]
Assumed office
12 April 2019
LeaderNigel Farage
Himself
Preceded byOffice established
Member of the European Parliament
for East of England
In office
2 July 2019 – 31 January 2020
Preceded byPatrick O'Flynn
Succeeded byConstituency abolished
Personal details
Born
Richard James Sunley Tice

(1964-09-13) 13 September 1964
Farnham, Surrey, England
Political partyReform UK (since 2019)
Other political
affiliations		Conservative (2016–2019)
Independent (2012–2016)
Conservative (until 2012)
Spouse
Emma
​
(divorced)​
Domestic partnerIsabel Oakeshott
Children3
RelativesBernard Sunley (grandfather)
EducationUppingham School
Alma materUniversity of Salford
OccupationCEO, Quidnet Capital
Co-founder and former co-chair of Leave Means Leave and former co-chair of Leave.EU
Signature
Websitewww.richardtice.com

Richard James Sunley Tice (/ˈtaɪs/; born 13 September 1964) is an English businessman and politician who has been Leader of Reform UK (formerly the Brexit Party) since 2021.[1]

A multi-millionaire,[2] Tice was CEO of the real estate group CLS Holdings from 2010 to 2014, after which he became CEO of the property asset management group Quidnet Capital LLP. He was a founder and co-chairman of the pro-Brexit campaign groups Leave.EU and Leave Means Leave.

Tice had been a long-time donor and member of the Conservative Party until 2019, when he helped found the Brexit Party, later renamed Reform UK. He was elected as Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the East of England constituency at the 2019 European Parliament election. He held this role until the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union in January 2020. He became the leader of Reform UK in March 2021.

Early life

Richard James Sunley Tice was born on 13 September 1964 in Farnham in Surrey,[3][4] the third child of the horse trainer and philanthropist Joan Mary Tice, who died on 26 April 2019.[5] He is a maternal grandson of the property developer Bernard Sunley.[6][7]

Tice was educated at the private Uppingham School.[8] He subsequently received a bachelor's degree in construction economics and quantity surveying from the University of Salford.[6]

Property career

After graduation in 1987, Tice's first occupation was at the housing developer London and Metropolitan. This included time at its Paris office where he learnt French. He then started working for the housebuilding and commercial property company founded by his grandfather called The Sunley Group in 1991. Tice was its joint chief executive officer (CEO) for 14 years before leaving the company in 2006.[9]

Tice then ran his own debt advisory consultancy before joining the property investment group CLS Holdings in 2010. He led major planning property applications in Vauxhall, London. He was its CEO until 2014. He left the company to become the CEO of the property investment firm Quidnet Capital Partners LLP,[10] having been removed from CLS' board as a result of a potential conflict of interest.[11]

Television presenter

Tice had been a television presenter for TalkTV before moving to GB News in September 2023.[12]

Political career

Conservative Party

Before joining the Brexit Party, Tice was a donor and member of the Conservative Party for most of his adult life.[2][13]

Tice wrote a 2008 report for the think tank Reform called "Academies: A model education?".[6] In 2017, he co-wrote a pamphlet for the think tank UK 2020, "Timebomb: how the university cartel is failing Britain's students", which included recommendations on how to expand two-year degrees.[14] He produced a follow-up report on student finances called "Defusing the debt timebomb" which he sent to the then-Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond.[15]

In a May 2018 article on the ConservativeHome website, Tice argued for the importance of expanding the availability of homes for people on lower incomes and how this could be achieved more effectively. He felt that crime could also be reduced if housing was better managed.[16]

Euroscepticism

Tice is a Eurosceptic. He was a director of the campaign group, Business for Sterling,[17] which campaigned for the United Kingdom not to adopt the Euro in the late 1990s.[18] Tice donated £1,750 to the Eurosceptic MP David Davis' candidacy in the 2001 Conservative Party leadership election.[19]

In July 2015, Tice co-founded, with the businessman Arron Banks, the pro-Brexit Leave.EU campaign group. It was originally known as The Know.EU before being rebranded in September of that year.[20] He also donated £38,000 to the pro-Brexit campaign group Grassroots Out.[21] Shortly after the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union in the 2016 referendum, he left Leave.EU, and co-founded the pressure group Leave Means Leave.[22] He co-chairs it with the businessman John Longworth. In October 2017, they were placed jointly at Number 90 on Iain Dale's list of the "Top 100 Most Influential People on the Right".[23]

Tice, Banks, Andy Wigmore and Nigel Farage are sometimes referred to by sections of the media as the "Bad Boys of Brexit", a group who facilitated Brexit.[24] He has written a number of articles advocating a no-deal Brexit.[25] He was the first to use the phrase, "no deal is better than a bad deal" in relation to Brexit in July 2016 which was later used in then-Prime Minister Theresa May's Lancaster House speech outlining the government's approach to negotiations in January 2017.[26]

Brexit Party and Reform UK

The Brexit Party, a right-wing populist and Eurosceptic political party, was formed as an incorporated limited company on 23 November 2018, and Tice was appointed a director of it on 8 May 2019.[27] In his role as the chairman of the Brexit Party he regularly represented it, with appearances in the media including BBC Radio 4's Any Questions?.[28] He was the chairman when the party participated in the 2019 European Parliament election, under Nigel Farage's leadership.[29] In that election, it won 29 seats in the European Parliament, having existed for only six months.[30]

Tice stood as a candidate at the 2019 European Parliament election. He was first on his party's list in the East of England constituency, and was elected as one of three of its MEPs for there.[31] In the European Parliament, he was a member of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs and was part of the delegation for relations with Canada.[3]

In November 2019, it was announced that Tice would be standing as the Brexit Party candidate for the Hartlepool constituency at the 2019 general election.[32] He finished in third place in Hartlepool with 25.8% of the vote.[33]

On 30 October 2020, Farage applied to the Electoral Commission to change the Brexit Party's name to Reform UK.[34] On 6 March 2021, it was announced that Tice would become Leader of Reform UK following Farage's resignation.[35]

In March 2021, Tice announced he would be the Reform UK candidate for the Havering and Redbridge constituency in the 2021 London Assembly election.[36] He came fifth out of six candidates.[37]

In December 2021, Tice stood in the by-election for the Old Bexley and Sidcup constituency following the death of the sitting MP, James Brokenshire. He received 1,432 votes, a 6.6% vote share, and therefore retained his deposit.[38]

International politics

Speaking of the U.S. Republican Party politician Ron DeSantis in late April 2023, Tice described him as "a courageous, bold leader and that's very interesting" and someone who "doesn't muck about — he just gets stuff done and tells it as it is" and said that he was trying to establish links with DeSantis.[39]

Election results

Popular vote winners by district, 2019
European election 2019: East of England[40]
List Candidates Votes % ±
Brexit Party Richard Tice (1)
Michael Heaver (3)
June Mummery (5)
Paul Hearn, Priscilla Huby, Sean Lever, Edmund Fordham		 604,715
(201,391.67)		 37.83 New
Liberal Democrats Barbara Gibson (2)
Lucy Nethsingha (6)
Fionna Tod, Stephen Robinson, Sandy Walkington, Marie Goldman, Jules Ewart		 361,563
(180,751.5)		 22.62 +15.72
Green Catherine Rowett (4)
Rupert Read, Martin Schmierer, Fiona Radic, Paul Jeater, Pallavi Devulapalli, Jeremy Caddick		 202,460 12.67 +4.17
Conservative Geoffrey Van Orden (7)
John Flack, Joe Rich, Thomas McLaren, Joel Charles, Wazz Mughal, Thomas Smith		 163,830 10.25 –18.15
Labour Alex Mayer, Chris Vince, Sharon Taylor, Alvin Shum, Anna Smith, Adam Scott, Javeria Hussain 139,490 8.73 –8.57
Change UK Emma Taylor, Neil Carmichael, Bhavna Joshi, Michelle de Vries, Amanda Gummer, Thomas Graham, Roger Casale 58,274 3.65 New
UKIP Stuart Agnew, Paul Oakley, Elizabeth Jones, William Ashpole, Alan Graves, John Wallace, John Whitby 54,676 3.42 –31.08
English Democrat Robin Tilbrook, Charles Vickers, Bridget Vickers, Paul Wiffen 10,217 0.64 –1.09
Independent Attila Csordas 3,230 0.20 New
Rejected ballots 9,589
Turnout 1,603,017 36.37 +0.5
2019 general election: Hartlepool[41]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Mike Hill 15,464 37.7 –14.8
Conservative Stefan Houghton 11,869 28.9 –5.3
Brexit Party Richard Tice 10,603 25.8 N/A
Liberal Democrats Andy Hagon 1,696 4.1 +2.3
Independent Joe Bousfield 911 2.2 N/A
Socialist Labour Kevin Cranney 494 1.2 N/A
Majority 3,595 8.8 –9.5
Turnout 41,037 57.9 –1.3
Labour hold Swing –4.8
2021 London Assembly election: Havering and Redbridge
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Keith Prince 77,268 46.0 +8.3
Labour Judith Garfield 61,941 36.9 0.0
Green Melanie Collins 13,685 8.1 +2.5
Liberal Democrats Thomas Clarke 8,150 4.8 +0.7
Reform UK Richard Tice 5,143 3.1 New
TUSC Andy Walker 1,856 1.1 New
Majority 15,327 9.1 +8.3
Total formal votes 168,043
Informal votes 2,741
Turnout 170,784
Conservative hold Swing
2021 Old Bexley and Sidcup by-election[42]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Louie French 11,189 51.5 –13.0
Labour Daniel Francis 6,711 30.9 +7.4
Reform UK Richard Tice 1,432 6.6 N/A
Green Jonathan Rooks 830 3.8 +0.6
Liberal Democrats Simone Reynolds 647 3.0 –5.3
English Democrat Elaine Cheeseman 271 1.3 N/A
UKIP John Poynton 184 0.8 N/A
Rejoin EU Richard Hewison 151 0.7 N/A
Heritage David Kurten 116 0.5 N/A
CPA Carol Valinejad 108 0.5 ±0.0
Monster Raving Loony Mad Mike Young 94 0.4 N/A
Majority 4,478 20.6 –20.4
Turnout 21,733 33.5 –36.3
Rejected ballots 50 0.2
Total ballots 21,783 33.6
Registered electors 64,831
Conservative hold Swing –10.2

Personal life

Tice is divorced after a 24-year marriage with his ex-wife Emma[43] with whom he has three children.[44] He began a relationship with the journalist Isabel Oakeshott in 2018 and separated from his wife in March 2019.[45]

Tice was a member of the governing body of Northampton Academy between 2005 and 2019 and has also been vice chair of trustees at Uppingham School.[46]

A long-time contributor to the magazine Property Week, Tice is a regular commentator on developments within the property world.[47]

In October 2019, openDemocracy revealed that two offshore companies had owned shares in Tice's family business, Sunley Family Limited, since 1994.[48]

Notes

  1. ↑ Reform UK was previously called the Brexit Party from 2019 to 2020.

References

  1. ↑ James Ball (21 June 2023). "Oakeshott and Tice, the gruesome twosome of the right". The New European. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
    - James Heale (22 January 2022). "Road to Reform: is Richard Tice's party a threat to the Tories?". The Spectator. Archived from the original on 22 January 2022. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
    - Chris Brayford (2 May 2023). "Reform UK's Richard Tice advocates for "proper" Brexit during Hoyland visit". Rotherham Advertiser. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
    - Henry Hill (9 June 2023). "Waiting for Farage. Why, despite the Tories' troubles, Reform UK aren't breaking through". Conservative Home. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
    - Sophie Wingate (6 May 2023). "Ukip loses all six seats in local elections". The Independent. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
    - Tom Jones (4 July 2023). "Conservatism's America problem". The Critic. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  2. 1 2 Wilson, Sinead (8 March 2021). "Who is Reform UK leader Richard Tice?". BBC News. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  3. 1 2 "Richard Tice". European Parliament. Archived from the original on 14 July 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  4. ↑ "Richard James Sunley Tice". Companies House. Archived from the original on 16 August 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
    - "Obituaries". Horse & Hound. CXXXIV (21): 10. 23 May 2019.
  5. ↑ "Joan M Sunley" in England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916—2005, ancestry.com, accessed 22 November 2022 (subscription required): "Joan M Sunley, Westminster, Middlesex; Spouse: James S Tice; Volume: 5c; Page: 671"
    - Ulke, Alastair (8 May 2019). "'Formidable' philanthropist who raised millions for Northampton charities and young people passes away". Northampton Chronicle. Archived from the original on 16 August 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
    - Silk, Huw (30 December 2014). "Northamptonshire's New Year's honours winners 'humbled' and 'thrilled' to be recognised". Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph. Archived from the original on 16 August 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  6. 1 2 3 Tice, Richard. "Academies: a model education?" (PDF). p. 10. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 January 2017. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  7. ↑ "The Bernard Sunley Charitable Foundation Annual Report 2013" (PDF). The Bernald Sunley Charitable Foundation. p. 5. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 December 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
  8. ↑ "Who what where". OU. Uppingham School (41): 9. 2013. Retrieved 20 June 2022 – via Issuu.
  9. ↑ "My life". Richard Tice. Archived from the original on 7 August 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
    - "Board of Directors". Principle Capital. Archived from the original on 16 August 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  10. ↑ "Richard Tice". Quidnet Capital. Archived from the original on 19 June 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
    - Brinded, Lianna (11 November 2015). "'Britain should leave the EU because it's flatlining and not helping its citizens'". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 16 August 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  11. ↑ "'Former CLS Holdings chief removed from Board'". The Times. 9 April 2022.
  12. ↑ "Richard Tice joins GB News as a presenter and contributor after leaving TalkTV". GB News. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  13. ↑ "My life". Richard Tice. Archived from the original on 7 August 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  14. ↑ Burns, Judith (3 September 2017). "Universities run cartel, says think tank". BBC News. Archived from the original on 26 August 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  15. ↑ Tice, Richard. "Defusing the Debt Timebomb" (PDF). UK 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 August 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  16. ↑ "Richard Tice: Let's all do our bit to end the scourge of knife crime". Conservative Home. Archived from the original on 8 June 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  17. ↑ "Eurosceptic". Richard Tice. Archived from the original on 16 August 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  18. ↑ Brown, Colin (11 June 1998). "'Business for Sterling' to campaign against euro". The Independent. Archived from the original on 15 August 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  19. ↑ "The Rt Hon David Davis MP (Great Britain), Non Cash (NC0027333)". Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 16 August 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  20. ↑ Hope, Christopher (21 June 2015). "Millionaires prepare to launch £20million non-political campaign for Britain to quit European Union". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 16 January 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
    - "Brexit: Leave Means Leave campaign prepares for another referendum". BBC News. 7 December 2018. Archived from the original on 21 April 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
    - Hope, Christopher (11 July 2015). "Millionaire Jim Mellon backs £20million 'anti-politics' campaign to leave EU as name revealed". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 16 August 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  21. ↑ "GO Movement Ltd, Cash (C0259200)". Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 20 August 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
    - "Grassroots Out Ltd, Cash (C0241524)". Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 16 August 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
    - "GO Movement Ltd, Non Cash (NC0242394)". Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 20 August 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  22. ↑ "Donald Tusk: EU's 'heart still open to UK' over Brexit". BBC News. 16 January 2018. Archived from the original on 31 July 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  23. ↑ Dale, Iain (2 October 2017). "The Top 100 Most Influential People on the Right: Iain Dale's 2017 List". LBC. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  24. ↑ Burton, Lucy (6 June 2017). "One of the 'Bad Boys of Brexit' plots £100m stock market return". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 19 June 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
    - "The Alarming Return of Nigel Farage". The New Yorker. 21 May 2019. Archived from the original on 22 May 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
    - Bennett, Owen (29 June 2018). "Brexit 'Bad Boy' Richard Tice Puts Himself Forward To Be Tory Candidate For London Mayor". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 10 July 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  25. ↑ "Richard Tice". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 20 August 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  26. ↑ Asthana, Anushka; Stewart, Heather; Elgot, Jessica (18 January 2017). "Brexit: May's threat to Europe: 'no deal for Britain is better than a bad deal'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 20 August 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
    - "FactCheck: Did Nigel Farage coin the phrase 'no deal is better than a bad deal'?". TheJournal.ie. 14 May 2019. Archived from the original on 20 August 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  27. ↑ "Officer". Companies House. Archived from the original on 6 August 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  28. ↑ BBC Radio 4, 'Any Questions?' chaired by Chris Mason. Broadcast 6 November 2020, repeated 7 November 2020.
  29. ↑ "Eddie Mair Grills Brexit Party Chairman On No-Deal As Tory Peer Argues It Was Never Debated". LBC. 6 August 2019. Archived from the original on 16 August 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  30. ↑ Rankin, Jennifer (2 July 2019). "Brexit party MEPs turn backs on Ode to Joy at European parliament". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 19 August 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  31. ↑ "2019 European elections: List of candidates for the East of England". BBC News. 28 April 2019. Archived from the original on 14 July 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  32. ↑ "General election 2019: Brexit chairman stands in Hartlepool". BBC News. 7 November 2019. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  33. ↑ "Hartlepool". BBC News. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  34. ↑ Read, Jonathon (2 November 2020). "Nigel Farage to rename the Brexit Party as 'Reform Party'". The New European. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
    - "Nigel Farage: Brexit Party to focus on fighting lockdown". BBC News. 2 November 2020. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  35. ↑ Stubley, Peter (6 March 2021). "Nigel Farage 'quits politics' after resigning as Reform UK party leader". The Independent. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  36. ↑ Richard Tice [@TiceRichard] (30 March 2021). "I'm delighted to be standing for Havering & Redbridge in the London Assembly elections May 6 for @reformparty_uk" (Tweet). Retrieved 1 April 2021 – via Twitter.
  37. ↑ "London Assembly Member Elections 2021: Havering and Redbridge Constituency results". London Borough of Havering. 7 May 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  38. ↑ "Old Bexley and Sidcup: Tories hold safe London seat at by-election". BBC News. 3 December 2021. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  39. ↑ Boscia, Stefan (27 April 2023). "Trump who? Farage's party cozies up to DeSantis as White House hopeful lands in UK". Politico. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  40. ↑ "European election results 2019". Chelmsford City Council. Archived from the original on 19 June 2019. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  41. ↑ "Hartlepool Parliamentary constituency". BBC news. BBC. Archived from the original on 13 November 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  42. ↑ "Old Bexley and Sidcup: Tories hold safe London seat at by-election". BBC News. 3 December 2021. Archived from the original on 3 December 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  43. ↑ Rayner, Gordon (14 January 2024). "Reform UK's Richard Tice: 'If you want healthcare, learn the lingo, or pay for it privately. Very simple'". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  44. ↑ "Early years". Richard Tice. Archived from the original on 7 August 2019. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  45. ↑ Gilligan, Andrew; Shipman, Tim (14 July 2019). "Trump leak scandal engulfs Brexit Party". The Sunday Times. p. 1. Archived from the original on 4 August 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  46. ↑ "Governance". Northampton Academy. Archived from the original on 23 August 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
    - "The Trustees". Uppingham School. Archived from the original on 16 August 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  47. ↑ "Richard Tice's articles". Property Week. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  48. ↑ Beizsley, Daniel (11 October 2019). "Revealed: Farage's Brexit Party chairman facing questions over offshore tax haven links". openDemocracy. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
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