For as long as I can recall, our country has been defined by what we might call three basic truths that we hold to be British: first, our devotion to liberty, tolerance and the rule of law; second, our instinct for fairness; and third, as an island and trading nation, our commitment to engaging with the world.
And while in the heat of an election battle it is difficult to see beyond the claims and counterclaims about tax, spending and migration, it is clear to me that far, far more is at stake on 4 July than what is conveyed in the day to day headlines. For as the prejudices of Nigel Farage and his supporters have come to dominate rightwing thinking and poison the national debate, it is these three defining British values, which I believe he and his fellow travellers fail to uphold, that have to be fought for.
