Surge of support for far right on eve of UK elections

Far-right populist party, Reform UK, is set to win almost 17% of the vote on the eve of the British General Election against the ruling Conservatives 19.9% and the 39.7% the polls predict for the Labour party, which is on course for a sweeping victory.

Should the former Brexit party beat the Conservatives on July 4, it would change the face of British politics, aligning it with Europe where most countries have a radical right-wing anti-immigrant party gaining ground or already in power. This has not been the case so far in the UK due to its electoral system, but now with the Conservatives trailing well behind Labour, it looks likely the populists will win a far greater number of seats in parliament.

Support for Reform UK surged when Eurosceptic Nigel Farage, long a disruptive force in UK politics, decided to take over as party leader, offering the party greater exposure. Farage’s man-of-the-people style and social media skills have proved a winning combination.

Former Reform UK leader, Richard Tice, has called July 4 “the immigration election” despite the fact that immigration ranks only fourth on the list of voters’ concerns, behind cost of living, the National Health Service and the economy in general.

But for a number of Conservative voters, immigration is a prime concern and, disillusioned after 14 years of Conservative rule, a significant number have shifted their allegiance to Reform UK, believing it will take a firmer line on illegal migrants coming into Britain on small boats across the English Channel.

But, in the past week, Reform UK’s immigration ticket appears to be backfiring, as it has shown to have attracted campaigners and candidates who are unwittingly smearing the party with their bigoted views.

Sky News has reported that Reform UK candidate Georgie David is the second to defect to the Conservatives, which she has done just 48 hours before the election. Explaining the move, she said, “the vast majority” of other Reform candidates are “racist, misogynist and bigoted.”

David added that while she did not believe the party leadership answered to that description, they had failed “to tackle this issue in any meaningful way,” instead attempting to “brush it under the carpet or cry foul play.”

Last week, Channel Four released footage filmed undercover showing a Reform UK canvasser, Andrew Parker, calling the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak “a f****** P***” while another campaigner referred to a LGBTQ+ flag as “degenerate.” Farage has sought to distance himself from the incidents, claiming they were “a set up.”

Sky News presenter Trevor Phillips confronted Farage’s stance on racism, saying he did not believe Farage himself was racist, but he was “fanning the flames of prejudice to further his political goals,” which Phillips qualified as “something much worse.”

Farage has a growing following among 18–24-year-olds, particularly young disenfranchised white males, according to The Guardian. The Reform UK leader appeals to their sense of resentment over the cost of living, feminism, racial equality and the woke culture in general, turning it into a scapegoat for their woes.

Farage defended his view that British Muslims “do not share British values” on the BBC’s Today program. Regarding feminism, Farage has gone so far as to align himself with the hugely popular misogynistic influencer Andrew Tate, who is charged with r a p e and human trafficking in Romania.

Farage has called Tate an “important voice” for the “emasculated.” In a recent UK poll, one in five young men expressed a positive view of Tate while a 2022 report from the Center for Countering Digital Hate revealed that Tate’s videos had been viewed 11.6 billion times.

But it could be that Farage has overestimated the UK’s appetite for straight-talking. His remark that the West “provoked” the Ukraine war and his view that “Putin is a strong leader who believes in his own nation,” may have something to do with the fact his ratings are suddenly flatlining.

Farage’s stance on Putin was lampooned at a rally just days ago when political activists interrupted his speech by lowering a banner featuring Putin giving a thumbs up and a slogan reading “I (heart emoji) Nigel.” More seriously, the Sunday Times reported possible election interference from Russia, encouraging votes for Reform UK.

Describing the past few days to his supporters as “tough,” Farage is being put on the spot by mainstream journalists regarding his position on Putin, Tate, Muslims and racism in general. According to Liam Booth-Isherwood, the first Reform candidate to defect to the Conservatives , there is “a significant moral issue with certain elements of the party and a failure of the party’s leadership to fundamentally address it.”

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