Whatever happened to Nigel Farage and his allies is a question neither of the main political parties care to dwell on. It is painful for Conservatives because they set the terms of the 2016 referendum, ultimately resulting in a loss for their then leader and much subsequent turmoil. It is also an allergic topic for the urban, Remain-minded top tier of Labour (aka Team Starmer), who saw their voters turn out to be more “Brexit-y” than they hoped. The Opposition’s 2019 defeat happened in part because of Jeremy Corbyn’s unpalatable offer but also because many in its heartlands did not relish being told to vote again on something they thought they had already decided.
Two factors have now resurrected Farage’s kinetic force, albeit in the guise of a movement dubbed, blandly, Reform UK, formerly known as Ukip via an incarnation as the “Brexit party”. After more schisms and leaders than Guns N’ Roses have had line-up changes, it is under the tactical leadership of Richard Tice and the talkshow papacy of Farage, and the febrile events of this year have launched a new Farage-and-co album. A message of “Brexit betrayal”, combined with a preoccupation with the lack of control of the country’s borders (aka anti-immigration, with scary noir images of undesirables on the website), lead the charge. The new assault is that the Tories, their estranged cousinage, have failed to deliver on both counts.
