Press Contact
For media enquiries, interview requests, comment, and embargoed materials:
Email: robert@forgebritain.org.uk
Response time: Within 24 hours for journalists with publication or broadcast deadlines. Urgent same-day requests should be marked URGENT in the subject line.
Founder direct enquiries for substantial features, podcasts, or long-form interviews: robert@forgebritain.org.uk
About Forge
Forge is a political movement founded in March 2026 by Dr Robert King, a senior bioinformatician with fourteen years' experience in scientific research. The name is deliberate: a forge is a place where things are remade. The movement's premise is that Britain's institutions can be modernised without the cynicism of the major parties or the populist anger of newer entrants.
Three principles structure the manifesto:
Modern
A tax code under 1,000 pages. AI triage in every GP surgery. Estonian-style digital government. Twenty-first-century systems.
Fair
Same income, same outcome. No loopholes. No stamp duty on primary residences. Multinationals taxed where they sell.
Accountable
Directors who break the law go to prison. Foreign and crypto donations to politicians banned. Water nationalised.
Headline policies
- TaxUniversal 15% VAT, no zero-rating. Income tax cut. 17,000-page tax code reduced below 1,000 pages.
- PropertyCouncil tax replaced with a progressive market-value property tax (0.78% to 1.70% by band), phased in over 5 years. Majority of homes pay less; £10bn from upper bands ring-fenced for growth infrastructure. Stamp duty abolished on primary residences.
- WelfareThree benefits replace thirty. Dutch employer-responsibility model. Treatment-first mental health policy. £15-20bn projected savings by year 5.
- Defence3% of GDP target. £10-15bn raised through retail Defence Bonds via NS&I at 4-4.5%, modelled on Israeli bonds.
- Immigration100,000/yr cap. Embassy-only asylum. Channel Patrol Fleet. Bilateral return agreement with France, conditionally funded.
- WaterNationalisation with debt-offset compensation. Bills frozen for the parliament. 25-year cleanup plan, £120bn from bills.
- NHSAI triage in every GP surgery within 2 years. Hospital at Home tripled. Single Point of Assessment. ~£14bn projected efficiency savings.
- EnergyWholesale market split to decouple electricity from gas. Levies rebalanced. Council-led fracking opt-in with profit share.
- ConstitutionLords abolished, replaced with Citizens' Scrutiny Council. Mandatory voting (£20 fine), Australian model. STV electoral reform.
- EducationTwo-year accelerated degrees as default. Apprenticeships funded equal to degrees. Single-word Ofsted ratings scrapped.
The manifesto runs to 19 sections and is fully costed. Full PDF: Download Forge Manifesto
Founding leader
Dr Robert King is a Senior / Principal Bioinformatician with fourteen years' experience in genomics and clinical informatics. He previously led the Pest Genomics Initiative at Rothamsted Research, working on issues including blackgrass herbicide resistance that affects British agriculture. Before that, he was a postdoctoral researcher at the Gray Institute for Radiation Oncology & Biology, University of Oxford.
Dr King has no prior political affiliation and has never previously stood for elected office. The decision to found Forge followed an extended period of independent policy research and manifesto drafting through 2025 and early 2026.
Dr King is available for interviews, podcasts, panels, and long-form features. Please contact robert@forgebritain.org.uk with details of your outlet, intended format, and deadline.
Forge Clubs & movement structure
Forge operates a distributed organising model based loosely on Macron's En Marche. The basic unit is a Forge Club: a minimum of five people who meet at least monthly, read a manifesto section per meeting, and submit feedback. Local Forge Clubs select their parliamentary candidates by majority vote. There is no central candidate selection committee.
Manifesto changes proposed by Forge Club members that secure 60% support across verified members go to the Policy Committee for drafting. Drafted policies are voted on at quarterly conferences. The model is designed to give engaged supporters genuine policy influence, not consultation theatre.
Key dates & milestones
- Mar 2026Forge founded. Founding leader: Dr Robert King.
- Apr 2026Manifesto first edition published in full on ForgeBritain.org.uk.
- May 2026Discussion hub launches. Forge Clubs begin registering.
- Q3 2026Electoral Commission party registration submitted (subject to compliance review).
- Q1 2027Candidate selection process opens for the next general election.
Brand & visual assets
For brand assets, logo files, and visual guidelines, please email robert@forgebritain.org.uk with your publication and intended use. We will provide:
- Primary wordmark (SVG, PNG @ multiple resolutions)
- F monogram for square contexts
- Approved colour palette (Pantone, CMYK, RGB, hex)
- Photography of Dr Robert King for editorial use (high resolution)
- Stock infographics from the manifesto (fiscal table, implementation timeline, etc.)
Latest press releases
Forge launches with 19-section manifesto for "modern, fair, accountable" Britain
Dr Robert King, founder of new political movement Forge, has published a full manifesto setting out plans to simplify the tax code from 17,000 pages to under 1,000, abolish stamp duty on primary residences, nationalise water companies, and decouple electricity prices from gas.
"Britain is not broken in mysterious ways," said Dr King. "The fixes are mostly known. They have been tried in other countries. They work. What has been missing is the political willingness to do them." [...]
FAQ for journalists
Are you registered with the Electoral Commission?
Registration is in progress. The legal vehicle (Forge Movement) is established; party registration with the Electoral Commission requires submission of a constitution, financial scheme, and approved emblem. Submission is targeted for Q3 2026.
Where does your funding come from?
Forge accepts donations from UK individuals only, capped at £500 per person per year. Corporate, foreign, and cryptocurrency donations are refused as a matter of policy, not because the law requires it. All donors above £100 will be named publicly in the donor register on this website.
Are you a left-wing or right-wing party?
The manifesto draws from policies that have worked in different countries and political traditions: Estonian digital government (centre-right), Dutch employer welfare model (centre), Israeli defence bonds (centrist national-security policy), Belgian citizens' assemblies (left-leaning democratic reform). The framing of left-versus-right has prevented competent policy-making for two decades. We do not begin from an ideological position.
Are you running candidates against Labour, Conservatives, Lib Dems, Reform?
We will run candidates in every Westminster constituency where a local Forge Club has selected one. We are not in a contest with devolved parties. Voters in Scotland and Wales can support Forge for Westminster while supporting any party they prefer at Holyrood or the Senedd.
Where is your support strongest?
Too early to say with reliability. Pre-launch interest has been strongest among professionals aged 30-55 who voted Labour in 2024 and feel disappointed, and centre-right voters uncomfortable with Reform's direction. We will release polling and supporter demographics as data becomes available.
Will Dr King stand as an MP?
Dr King intends to stand at the next general election in a constituency to be determined through the local Forge Club selection process. The same process that applies to every candidate.
For interview requests, comment, and follow-up
Email: robert@forgebritain.org.uk
Please include your outlet, the format of the piece, and your deadline.