Reform’s rampant surge in last night’s local elections comes as no surprise to anyone. The voting public are sick of the mainstream. They booted out a tired, jaded and tarnished Conservative administration in the hope of something better, and instead have found in Keir Starmer’s Labour more of the same, only arguably worse.
Same double standards, same empty promises – only with an added dose of fiscal incompetence, cowardice, obsessive dogma and general dishonesty. In other words, a political and moral void.
Nigel Farage fills that void with ease and charm. He knows how to speak directly to the disaffected, and he has that showman quality that someone like Starmer so strikingly lacks. As one of the most skilled and seasoned politicians of this generation, he also has one unassailable advantage over all the others: he and his party have never actually run anything.
No one can say to Farage: we gave you a chance, and you messed up. He’s never been anywhere near the levers of power, which means he is untarnished by the harsh realities and failure of government, a political ‘clean skin’ onto which voters can project their hopes.
And they have certainly done so. Politically speaking, Farage now holds rock star status. This is, at last, the big time. Authentic, grass roots support of the kind the other parties can only dream of.
But while this is an undeniable triumph and a key step forward it will also be a big test for his party. Because now they have to put their money where their mouth is.
Will his newly elected army – including Dame Andrea Jenkyns as the first Greater Lincolnshire mayor with an enormous 40,000 majority over the Tories – live up to expectations? Will they ultimately be able to deliver his radical agenda, or will they turn out to be men – and women – of straw? Only time will tell.
Farage and his party are proving a catalyst for real political change, and there is no question that the country needs – and wants – that. But whether that translates into an overall victory for him at the next election depends on how his revolutionary army performs in the field – and also how the other parties respond.
Kemi Badenoch on the campaign trail this week. For the Conservatives, this is an opportunity, writes SARAH VINE
For the Conservatives under Kemi Badenoch, this is an opportunity. Farage’s popularity and success proves that, fundamentally, Britain remains a small-c conservative country. Her job is to redirect that sentiment away from Reform and back towards the Tories. No mean feat, especially given the amount of baggage she’s carrying.
Nevertheless, the past couple of weeks on the campaign trail have been good for the Tory leader. It’s the first time the public have really seen her in campaign mode, and even her detractors have had to admit she has impressed. Her efforts were never going to translate into a resounding victory – it’s far too soon for that. But she has shown that, under her, the party has not given up. She is determined to build back, one vote at a time.
The challenge now is to take those tiny sparks, and try, if she can, to build a fire under Farage. Talk of joining forces with Reform is pointless at this stage – and in any case, why would a Farage rampant need or want it? It would only alienate his support base, who love him precisely because they hate the other lot. They would doubtless see any rapprochement between the two as a sell-out.
But one thing she can do is forge useful ties closer to home. Robert Jenrick, her rival for the leadership, has proved himself a formidable Shadow Justice Secretary. He has Farage’s populist nose, but unlike Farage works very hard in Parliament. He’s also a sleek operator on social media. Many in the party think HE should be running things.
That’s who Badenoch should form a coalition with. Blair and Brown, Cameron and Osborne: they all succeeded because they agreed to pool their talents and work together. Blair was yin to Brown’s yang; the same was true of Cameron and Obsorne. Jenrick possesses many of the qualities she lacks – and vice versa. She should make him her Shadow Chancellor, and neutralise the rumours.
Whether either is prepared to do such a thing remains to be seen; but to my mind it’s her best next move. It’s only if people can see a grown-up Conservative Party capable of taking on both Labour and Reform and successfully navigate the political ground between the two that they might begin to consider going back.
After all, when a ship is sinking, it’s all hands on deck.
