‘The novelty will wear off’: Labour hopes publicity will be Farage’s downfall

Nigel Farage at the Reform UK conference in Birmingham in September, with a tie thrown to him on stage. Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters

After Nigel Farage dominated the summer headlines with weekly press conferences while his rivals were on their sunloungers and the news agenda was light, Labour strategists swore they would never let it happen again.

Labour MPs had returned to Westminster after recess, fuming that the government had vacated the public arena and allowed Reform UK to shape the narrative to the extent that the mood hardened against Keir Starmer.