As 2025 draws to a close, I can’t remember the country ever being gloomier. People are getting poorer. More people are becoming unemployed. Inflation is proving sticky and our debt is running completely out of control, with a Chancellor who doesn’t seem to have a clue what she’s doing.
Worse than that, people are frightened now to walk down the street wearing a watch, wearing jewellery. Oh, and by the way, if you see anything rude on Facebook, you may well get a knock at the door!
Well, I’ve come here today to Greenwich to have a think about what this country used to be, what it represented, and what it can become.
Greenwich was here at the very height of Britain’s naval power. And that wasn’t just about winning the Battle of Trafalgar and it wasn’t just about building the biggest empire the world had ever seen. It was also about a Royal Navy that spent decades, at huge cost, driving slavery off the high seas.
We have an enormous amount of our past to be proud of, and yet our education system under both of the last governments now teaches our kids to be ashamed of the past.
Well, the first thing a Reform government will do is make sure kids are taught correctly about our history.
But if you look behind these magnificent buildings, you see Canary Wharf, you see the 21st century, and not just traditional stocks and shares and bonds, but a whole new world developing: a world of cryptocurrencies, a world of AI, a world of digital assets.
And neither the Conservative or Labour seem to even understand this world in any way at all. Let me promise you that we do. These are the technologies of growth as we head forward in this century.
But none of it can be done unless we produce our own energy, lots of it, and at cheap rates. Because of fanatical net zero policies, we will literally be left behind.
One in seven of you own a digital asset of some kind. Yet the government, the authorities, simply don’t seem to care. And that’s the point. We need change in this country, real change. And if we go on voting for the same old parties, I promise you nothing will change.
Think, just in the last few days, of the El-Fattah case. Here’s a guy that’s come out of Egypt, come back to Britain, who’s put out the most abominable, hateful tweets about killing Jews, killing white people, fighting the police.
And this man was given citizenship by the Conservative Party and welcomed back into Britain by the Labour Party. Frankly, there is little to choose between the two.
We’re the people offering hope. We’re the people offering change. And 2025 showed you, with those county elections which we won comfortably, what we are capable of.
As we look forward to 2026, we have a massive set of elections: the whole of Scotland and Wales, all 32 London boroughs and thousands of council seats all over the country.
And yet, what are we now seeing? We’re seeing a Labour government saying to those councils that if you want to cancel the elections, in some cases for the second year in a row, you can do so.
And already East and West Sussex, controlled by the Conservatives, have said, thank you very much, we’ll cancel the elections. That is the kind of authoritarian country that we are now living in.
They’re even beginning to take away our right to vote. Well, they’ll cancel some, but most of those elections will go ahead. They will be the single most important set of elections between now and the next general election.
I’ll make this prediction: if Reform win those elections, if we come top, it will put us way ahead of the other parties. Already, we’ve led for 175 opinion polls in a row. Our average lead is 10%. If we get this right on May the 7th this year, we will go on and win that general election.
We will then absolutely have a chance of genuinely, fundamentally changing the whole system of government in Britain. We may well be the last chance this country has to actually restore some proper values.
Those are family, community, country, the ones upon which I based this policy when I founded it in the very beginning. But we cannot do this without you. And you will not get the change you want without us.
So let me ask you one thing. Please make it your New Year’s resolution to do something. Support Reform. Join Reform. Go out and spread the message that we are the party of hope.
We are the party of change. And we are genuinely the last chance for Britain.
Nigel Farage Issues ‘Last Chance’ Warning in New Year’s Message to Nation
Nigel Farage used his New Year’s message to Britain to deliver a stark political warning, describing 2026 as a critical year for the country’s future and presenting Reform UK as what he called a potential “last chance” for Britain.
The Reform UK leader’s message was not simply a traditional New Year’s address. It was also an attempt to frame the political battles of 2026, particularly the elections scheduled across England, Scotland and Wales, as an important test of public opinion.
Farage argued that Britain had reached a moment when voters needed to decide whether they wanted major political change. He criticised both Labour and the Conservatives and presented Reform as an alternative to what he described as the established political system.
His comments came at a time when Reform was recording significant levels of support in national opinion polling. However, polling figures are measurements of public opinion at particular moments rather than guarantees of future election results.
Farage’s “last chance” message
In his New Year’s message, Farage argued that Britain had become increasingly pessimistic during 2025.
He referred to concerns about living standards, unemployment, inflation, government debt and public safety. He also criticised what he described as restrictions on freedom of expression and attacked the approach taken by successive governments on immigration and energy policy.
The central argument of his speech was that Britain required significant political change.
Farage presented Reform UK as a party offering what he described as hope and change. He linked that message directly to the elections expected in May 2026, arguing that the results could have consequences extending beyond local government.
He said that if Reform performed strongly in those elections, it would demonstrate the party’s ability to challenge the established parties ahead of the next general election.
The language was deliberately ambitious. Farage described Reform as potentially the “last chance” to restore what he characterised as traditional values centred on family, community and country.
That was a political argument rather than an objective assessment of Britain’s only available choices.
A direct attack on Labour and Conservatives
One of the strongest elements of Farage’s speech was his criticism of both major established parties.
He argued that there was little difference between Labour and the Conservatives on several important issues. His criticism was aimed particularly at immigration, energy policy, public spending and what he sees as excessive government intervention.
The message reflected one of Reform’s central political strategies: attempting to attract voters who have previously supported either Labour or the Conservatives but are dissatisfied with both.
That strategy has become increasingly relevant as Britain’s traditional two-party electoral structure has weakened in some areas.
Rather than presenting Reform simply as a Conservative alternative, Farage has increasingly sought to position the party as a challenge to the entire political establishment.
The elections of 2026
Farage placed particular emphasis on the elections due to take place during 2026.
His message referred to elections across Scotland and Wales, the London boroughs and large numbers of local council seats in England.
The scale of the contests makes them politically significant, but local elections have to be interpreted carefully. Results in council elections do not automatically translate into identical outcomes at a future general election.
Local issues, turnout and candidate factors can all affect the result.
Nevertheless, Farage argued that the elections could serve as an important indication of the level of support Reform has built since its breakthrough in previous contests.
He also connected the elections to Reform’s longer-term ambitions in Westminster.
Reform’s previous gains
Farage’s confidence was partly based on Reform’s performance in the 2025 local elections.
According to reports at the time, Reform won 677 council seats and gained control of 10 councils. The party also won the Runcorn and Helsby parliamentary by-election from Labour.
Those results represented an important expansion of Reform’s presence in local government.
However, the party’s performance was not uniform across Britain. The October 2025 Caerphilly by-election, for example, was won by Plaid Cymru rather than Reform.
The contrasting results demonstrate why individual election victories and losses need to be considered within their local contexts.
Farage nevertheless used Reform’s earlier successes as evidence that the party could convert national polling support into actual electoral representation.
His attack on the immigration system
Immigration was another major theme in the New Year’s message.
Farage referred to the controversy surrounding Alaa Abd el-Fattah and criticised both Conservative and Labour governments over the case.
His comments reflected Reform’s wider argument that Britain’s immigration and citizenship systems have failed to provide sufficient scrutiny.
The issue was politically sensitive because Abd el-Fattah had spent years detained in Egypt before returning to Britain, while historical social media posts subsequently became the subject of controversy and police referrals.
Farage used the case to argue that both major parties had failed to apply sufficient scrutiny.
The government, however, has its own explanation of the circumstances surrounding the case, and police assessment of historical social-media material should not be treated as proof that a criminal offence has been committed.
The episode illustrates one of Farage’s broader political techniques: using individual cases to support arguments about wider institutional reform.
Energy and economic growth
Farage also used his speech to attack the UK’s approach to energy policy.
He criticised what he described as overly ambitious net-zero policies and argued that Britain needed more domestic energy production at lower prices.
His message connected energy policy with economic growth.
The argument is that businesses and households require affordable and reliable energy if Britain is to improve productivity and living standards.
Critics of this position have argued that environmental policies are necessary to reduce emissions and that investment in renewable energy can itself create economic opportunities.
The disagreement therefore extends beyond energy prices. It concerns the UK’s long-term industrial strategy and the balance between economic growth and environmental commitments.
Technology and Britain’s future
An interesting element of Farage’s message was his emphasis on technology.
Speaking from Greenwich, he referred to London’s financial district and highlighted cryptocurrencies, artificial intelligence and digital assets.
He argued that Britain should become a major participant in these emerging industries.
This part of the speech was intended to show that Reform’s political message was not exclusively about immigration or cultural issues.
Farage attempted to connect the party with technological change and economic opportunity, arguing that Britain should create conditions for new industries to develop.
However, turning such broad ambitions into detailed economic policy would require decisions about taxation, regulation, infrastructure, energy and investment.
Starmer’s contrasting New Year message
Farage’s speech came alongside New Year messages from the other major party leaders.
Keir Starmer acknowledged that many people remained frustrated about the pace of change but argued that his government was putting Britain on a more stable footing.
He pointed to measures including changes to energy bills, public services and policing and argued that the government needed to “stay the course”.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch also attempted to strike an optimistic tone, arguing that Britain was not destined for decline while criticising Labour’s economic record.
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey focused his message on opposing the political direction associated with Farage.
The competing New Year’s addresses therefore offered voters several different interpretations of Britain’s situation.
Farage’s prediction about Reform
Farage went further than simply describing the 2026 elections as important.
He argued that a strong Reform performance could place the party in a powerful position before the next general election.
He also referred to Reform’s polling performance and argued that the party had established a significant lead over its competitors.
Such claims need to be distinguished from established election results. Opinion polls measure voting intention at the time respondents are surveyed, while an actual election involves turnout, candidate selection, constituency-level campaigning and decisions made by voters on polling day.
Political circumstances can also change substantially between a poll and an election.
For that reason, Farage’s prediction should be understood as part of his political message rather than as a certainty about the future.
Why the speech matters
The significance of Farage’s New Year’s message lies partly in how clearly it defined Reform’s objectives for 2026.
The party wants to move beyond being primarily a protest movement and establish itself as a major force in local government, devolved politics and Westminster.
The 2026 elections provide an opportunity to measure how far that transformation has progressed.
For Labour and the Conservatives, Reform’s growth creates pressure on both sides of the political spectrum.
Labour faces competition from Reform among some voters concerned about immigration, taxation and public services, while Conservatives face competition from Reform among voters who prioritise immigration, national sovereignty and lower taxation.
The result is a more fragmented political environment.
A year of political testing
Farage’s message ultimately presented 2026 as a year of political testing.
His claim that Reform represents Britain’s “last chance” is a rhetorical political position, but it captures the central argument he wants to place before voters: that the established parties have had their opportunity and that a fundamentally different approach is required.
Whether voters agree with that assessment will be determined through elections rather than speeches or opinion polls.
The coming contests will also test Reform itself. The party will have to demonstrate that it can maintain organisation across thousands of local seats, develop credible candidates and translate national recognition into sustained local support.
At the same time, Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats, the Greens and nationalist parties will all be seeking to defend or expand their own positions.
Farage’s New Year’s warning therefore marked the beginning of another intense period in British politics.
His central message was unmistakable: Reform intends to use 2026 to demonstrate that it can challenge the established political order.
The response from Britain’s other parties will help shape the political debate, but ultimately the significance of the year will depend on what happens at the ballot box.
For now, Farage has set out his argument. He believes Britain requires major political change and that Reform UK should be at the centre of it. The elections of 2026 will provide one of the clearest opportunities for voters to assess that proposition for themselves.