The Reform UK leader has sent the Left doolally, argues Giles Sheldrick.
Nigel Farage claims Clacton by-election victory
Nigel Farage has endured a miserable few months, and while it is true many of the problems he faces are of his own making, he remains the voice of the ignored. Moreover, he continues to speak on issues beyond political orthodoxy and remains hugely popular.
How do we know this?
Well, first, he was returned as the MP for Clacton with a slightly increased majority in what we can all agree was a waste of time and money. More importantly, he continues to get under the skin of the Left and its pearl-clutching cheerleaders.
Tony Blair’s former spin-doctor Alastair Campbell – the discredited verbal thug who failed to win the argument over Brexit (and will never get over it) – is incensed he hasn’t seen Mr Farage off.
His fixation with the Reform UK leader verges on the strangely obsessive.
Throughout the campaign – if you can call it that – he ran his own commentary peaking when he shared a BBC headline (of course) stating “Count Binface gets almost 10,000 votes in Clacton by-election” to which he told his 1m hand-wringing disciples: “Finally. A proper headline on the expensive backfiring stunt.”
When Richard Tice, the party’s deputy leader, described the probe into Mr Farage as a “Parliamentary Smear Service”, Campbell said: “Trumpism coming our way unless these charlatans are seen off”.
Contrary Campbell frequently lambasted the BBC and its political coverage – especially at the height of claims Downing Street “sexed up” a weapons dossier during the Iraq War – but these days it’s a love-in.
Mr Farage is going nowhere and the Left can’t stand it (Image: Getty)
Former Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell is obsessed with Mr Farage, argues Giles Sheldrick. (Image: Getty)
Over the past three years, the BBC has had to issue four public apologies to Reform UK or to Mr Farage personally.
And this is the issue – and one that Campbell and the BBC are terrified of.
Mr Farage has been hammered by an establishment frightened of his power and influence in bringing down the political status quo brick by brick.
The taxpayer-funded broadcaster – fighting for its very existence – is institutionally incapable of hiding its obvious Left-leaning sensibilities.
To its Labour-loving presenters and producers, any opportunity to deride him proves irresistible – hence its frankly ridiculous coverage of Count Binface.
Campbell, his best pal Gary Lineker, the BBC, and any number of socialists cannot stand – let alone accept – Reform’s stance on immigration.
Try as they might through mud-slinging, and in Campbell’s case, potty-mouthed rants on X, they cannot shift the dial.
And that is because Mr Farage has said what politicians have been too scared to say for decades: that opening the door to the world has been a dangerous miscalculation and a collective failure to tackle the deepening cross-channel crisis has created a national security emergency from which there might be no way back.
The pious Left – especially Campbell and the BBC – might not like it, but Mr Farage presents the public’s best chance to defeat Labour and the damage it is causing to Britain. They know it, and that is why the attacks and shameful bias will continue.
By winning more votes than he did in 2024, Mr Farage vindicated his decision to take on the establishment and call the Clacton by-election.
Mr Farage put his record directly to the people of Clacton, and they gave their verdict.
Campbell and his ilk might not like it, but support for Reform is growing, and Mr Farage is re-energised for the fight ahead.
Support for Reform is on 24% – neck-and-neck with Labour on 25%.
And he has seen it all before.
Mr Farage is not going anywhere. And that is why anyone would be a fool to write him off.