At last week’s Spectator parliamentarian of the year awards, Nigel Farage took the stage in front of a large chunk of the Westminster establishment, including journalists in need of a story. Honoured with a seat next to the magazine’s new proprietor, he was there to receive the newcomer of the year trophy and deliver a pithy speech written to spread fear through his audience. And so it proved. “We are about to witness a political revolution the likes of which we have not seen since Labour after the first world war,” he said. “Politics is about to change in the most astonishing way. Newcomers will win the next election. Thank you very much.” Although booze and seasonal merriment were in plentiful supply, his words were reportedly greeted by a brief outbreak of complete silence.
And then came an equally sobering opinion poll. A somewhat obscure outfit called FindOutNow gave the Tories the lead on a mere 26% – but the big headline was about Farage’s party, Reform UK, rising to second place on 24%, one point higher than Labour. In response, you could feel the government’s anxiety levels spiking – whereupon Farage made yet another appearance on BBC One’s Question Time and capped a week of mouthwatering promotion.
