Dear John,
Nigel Farage’s circus pitched its tent in Birmingham at the weekend and it wasn’t just some quirky fringe show.
It looked more like the dress rehearsal for what his Poundshop Trump government-in-waiting would look like – complete with conspiracy theories, recycled Conservative outcasts, and false promises that can’t seriously be delivered.
Here’s are three things we learnt:
Farage declared Reform is “ready to govern”, promising to end asylum crossings in two weeks, scrap net zero, and tear up fundamental human rights. These are quick fixes designed to win trust from people who are rightly desperate for change – but they’re not solutions. Farage doesn’t want to fix what’s broken. He wants to exploit people’s disillusionment for his own gain.
They’re stoking fear, but the consequences are potentially deadly. From the main stage came the baseless claim that COVID vaccines may have caused cancer in the royal family – branded “shockingly irresponsible” by health experts. The whole conference had the feel of a conspiracy convention, with anti-vaxxers, climate deniers and culture-warriors all given a platform.
High-profile has-been Conservatives like Michael Gove and Jacob Rees-Mogg turned up to cheer him on, while former Culture Secretary – a fellow I’m a Celebrity… cameo – Nadine Dorries went further by joining Reform as a member. But these aren’t “new voices” bringing fresh ideas. They’re failed figures of the past. Dorries herself was responsible for the Online Safety Act, which Farage now rails against. It’s not about principle – it’s about ego, flattery, and feeding a cult of personality.
This spectacle may look farcical, but don’t be fooled. Behind the carnival façade is a dangerous movement feeding on fear and division – and polling shows Farage is no sideshow. He’s on a trajectory that could put him in Downing Street at the next General Election.
That’s why we need to call this circus what it is – a dangerous con, powered by fear and false promises. And why we need to grow a movement strong enough to stop them before the joke becomes reality.
Could you chip in today to help us grow our movement and stop Farage?
