Nigel Farage declares war on the old order in his blueprint for Britain

Record ID: 2366606

  • Title: Nigel Farage declares war on the old order in his blueprint for Britain
  • Date: 17th March 2026
  • Summary: NEWPORT, WALES, UNITED KINGDOM (MARCH 5, 2026) (REUTERS) REFORM UK LEADER, NIGEL FARAGE, ARRIVING FOR WELSH MANIFESTO LAUNCH FARAGE DURING SPEECH (SOUNDBITE) (English) REFORM UK LEADER AND MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR CLACTON, NIGEL FARAGE, SAYING: “I think the global elites that I met at Davos, you know, over the decades have been the ones that have promoted ideas like, well,
  • Embargoed:
  • Keywords: Davos Donald Trump International trade Nigel Farage Reform UK
  • Location: VARIOUS, ENGLAND AND NEWPORT, WALES, UNITED KINGDOM/JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI, UNITED STATES
  • City: VARIOUS, ENGLAND AND NEWPORT, WALES, UNITED KINGDOM/JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI, UNITED STATES
  • Country: UK
  • Topics: Europe,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA001453316032026RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:The old world is over. This is Nigel Farage's time.
        That's the message pressed by the Reform UK leader and his allies who are betting that the powerful brand of populism that drove his successful Brexit campaign a decade ago can carry him all the way to 10 Downing Street.
        "The world is changing," Farage told Reuters as Reform starts fleshing out its party's proposed policies, which include carrying out mass deportations, ditching international human rights treaties and slashing overseas aid.
        He contrasted the comparatively warm welcome he'd received at the annual gathering of political and business leaders in Davos this year with the hostility he recalled in the past.
        "I would say a third of the delegates I met there were genuinely interested in who I was, what I was, what I was trying to do," he added. "And next year it will be 50%."
        Reform is riding high in UK opinion polls, with a significant lead over Prime Minister Keir Starmer's governing Labour, bolstering Farage's case that his party could seize power at the next election, due by 2029.
        Farage said his plans would rip up what he sees as the orthodoxy of a liberal establishment responsible for "a progressive, woke ideology" that has left Britons ashamed of their country.
        He compared himself to his friend Donald Trump, as well as Hungarian leader Viktor Orban and Argentina's Javier Milei, as figures bringing "very, very big changes" to the world.
        While Farage is a highly divisive figure in Britain, his campaigning and political acumen have seen him forge, from the crucible of the 2016 Brexit referendum, one of the most potent of the patriotic populist movements sweeping the globe.
        He and Reform nonetheless face a stiff challenge to convince voters they are ready to lead the country, having little prior experience of government and counting only eight lawmakers in Britain's 650-seat parliament.
        Inflammatory rhetoric, such as talk of an "invasion" of illegal migrants and allegations of racism which have led to several members being ejected, have turned off some voters who fear a Reform government would stoke division.
        The party's growing policy list includes scrapping diversity initiatives and net-zero targets, maximising oil and gas production, taking the axe to Britain's civil service and transforming the country in a crypto hub.
        Critics describe the agenda as little more than an echo of the programme pursued by the U.S. Trump administration - a characterisation that Farage rejects.
        Reform's policies are underpinned by "simple values", Farage said, focused on "family, community, country"
        Reform figures also stress that their close relations with American decision-makers could prove an asset in government.
        "With this administration, I happen to know most of the members of cabinet on a personal basis and have for many, many years," said Farage.
        Farage himself bridles when asked whether he is copying Trump's MAGA movement, but concedes there are similarities.
        He said he agreed with Trump on big issues, such as global security, recognising "Iran is the bad actor in the Middle East" and understanding "China wants to take over and dominate our lives". On controlling borders and producing energy domestically, we're aligned, he added.
        "I think to some extent they copy what we were doing back in the run up to the (Brexit) referendum," he said. "I have always gone for bells and whistles and fireworks and fun, and whilst we believe in what we're doing, we have a good time as well."
        (Production: Will Russell, Amy Pollock)
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