London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, May 31, 2025

Love him or hate him – Britain needs Nigel Farage to hold the government to account

Love him or hate him – Britain needs Nigel Farage to hold the government to account

The British populist politician has rebranded his party and will now devote his energy to addressing Covid-19, by backing the controversial Great Barrington Declaration advocating herd immunity.

Just like Batman, in a crisis, Britain summons Nigel Farage.

Dubbed by his ally Donald Trump “The King of Europe,” he has a new mission. He is rebranding the Brexit Party to “Reform UK.” And like it’s previous iteration, they are a one-trick pony.

Nigel is getting into the murky and well-funded Covid-19 trenches. It’s driven by Boris Johnson's new lockdown, scheduled to run until at least December 2, forcing pubs, restaurants, gyms, non-essential shops and places of worship to close. Furlough will be renewed to give people a partial income. The same measures were put in place back in March.

Not only have Boris and his ministers had seven months to mitigate the effects of the pandemic, they’ve also spent £12 billion on a track and trace system. Consultants employed by the government are earning £7,000 per day and the Department of Health and Social Care stated: “Every pound spent is contributing towards our efforts to keep people safe.”

Clearly, it's failed. Hospital admissions have begun to double and the number of deaths in England show a similar pattern. The graphs have an upward trend, that is only getting steeper.

Enter: Nigel, stage right.

Farage said: “We must learn to live with the virus not hide in fear of it. Lockdowns don't work: in fact, they cause more harm than good.” Critics have already predictably piled in, accusing Farage of being a “shameless opportunist”. He is, of course, loved and hated in equal measures. In certain communities, he’s royalty. In others, he needs police protection and was once famously doused in a milkshake by a truculent remainer.

He has millions of followers on social media and has authored three books. His opinions feature heavily in the British media, and even in American circles now. He drove UKIP to win more than 12.6 percent of the votes in the 2015 general election. But he's never been elected to the House of Commons; his political career is limited to being a former member of the European Parliament.

Yet still, from that position he managed to completely change the face of British politics. He manufactured Brexit. He forced David Cameron to hold a referendum. He pressured Theresa May out of office. He pushed Boris Johnson into taking a tough line in EU negotiations. All of the last three PMs have eventually been forced to dance to his tune, despite regularly dismissing him as a loudmouth irrelevance.

Farage has charisma, he speaks with passion and conviction. He makes issues clear and concise and, oddly for a politician, doesn’t seem to be trying to win votes, instead to win minds. People respond to that and there are many “closet” Farage fans, who wouldn’t admit so openly.

Many have also lost faith in the government, Covid-19 has tested public faith to the max and a large proportion have found the response unsatisfactory. There are different rules for different areas of the country, no one is clear on where to get a test, lots are unsure if they can go on holiday.

Are care homes safe? What about universities? No answer from the authorities is definitive. The Health Secretary says one thing, the Chief Medical Officer frames it another way. Boris disagrees with them both. Insider information leaks out that contradicts the PM, who then gets an adviser to overrule the leak. On and on it goes.

But Farage burns through all of that. He joins the dots and makes it linear.

That’s why he’ll no doubt have millions behind him with his new venture, as he offers them a clear and simple vision. The key point, though, is there is a difference between saying and doing. Farage doesn’t have the burden of operating the system and trying to prevent the death toll rising any higher. He is promoting “herd immunity” as advocated by the controversial “Great Barrington Declaration.” This would mean the general population go about their business as normal while those who are vulnerable remain isolated.

The declaration has been signed by more than 15,000 scientists but has been largely dismissed by governments and the World Health Organization. Many have pointed out that Farage originally ridiculed the idea back in March on Twitter, but the science and the situation has moved on a great deal since then. So it could be he feels it’s time to do something else, or more likely he’s leveraging the situation to his advantage.


Boris is in a lose-lose. His new lockdown might work, but he’ll never remove the scars of incompetence from how his government has handled this entire affair. And if the lockdown doesn’t work, Farage will be there, saying “I told you so.”

Farage is keeping it simple on the surface – he’s anti-lockdown and fighting the establishment on behalf of the proud citizens of Britain. But underneath, he’s calculating how to manipulate the government.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
Chinese Woman Dies After Being Forced to Visit Bank Despite Critical Illness
President Trump Grants Full Pardons to Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Texas Enacts App Store Accountability Act Mandating Age Verification
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Vatican Calls for Sustainable Tourism in 2025 Message
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on iPhones Amid Dispute with Apple CEO
Putin's Helicopter Reportedly Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
Liverpool Car Ramming Incident Leaves Multiple Injured
Australia Faces Immigration Debate Following Labor Party Victory
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Macron Dismisses Viral Video of Wife's Gesture as Playful Banter
Cleveland Clinic Study Questions Effectiveness of Recent Flu Vaccine
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Junior Doctors Threaten Strike Over 4% Pay Offer
Labour MPs Urge Chancellor to Tax Wealthy Over Cutting Welfare
Publication of UK Child Poverty Strategy Delayed Until Autumn
France Detains UK Fishing Vessel Amid Post-Brexit Tensions
Calls Grow to Resume Syrian Asylum Claims in UK
Nigel Farage Pledges to Reinstate Winter Fuel Payments
Boris and Carrie Johnson Welcome Daughter Poppy
×