Brexit leader Nigel Farage has turned his attention to the left side of politics in Britain, launching his election platform in the longstanding Labour stronghold of Wales. The Reform UK party aims to position itself as a defender of the working class against globalist giants and establishment parties that serve them.
Reform UK held its “contract” launch event in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales on Monday afternoon, signaling that while the new party may not yet be ready to challenge for outright leadership of the United Kingdom in this election, it is fighting to establish a presence in Parliament with the goal of making a bid at the next election in 2029.
Farage’s campaign has primarily focused on the ruling Conservative Party, whose polling numbers have collapsed to historic lows. This seemingly led Farage to shift his focus towards the likely next government, the Labour Party. Launching his “contract with the people” — which he refuses to call a ‘manifesto’, typically the British English term for a party platform due to its association with ‘lies’ by voters given the behavior of establishment parties — in South Wales is meant as a big message for Labour voters.
Farage has made it clear that his party is not simply a pressure group on the Conservatives, but also an electoral threat to Labour’s traditional working-class voter base. He pitched his policies to these communities, which have been “left behind” by globalism, saying: “We’re a party that knows what we believe in. We get the fundamental principle of what we’re about. We believe in the family, we believe in the community, we believe in the country… we’re for controlled borders, we’re for genuine economic growth.
Farage continued, “Helping the little guy, millions of men and women out there trying to get on, trying to do their thing, and yet a Labour and Conservative party that only ever listens to the giant global corporates. We’re about trying to restore some trust in politics. You might dislike what we say, you might not want to vote for what we say, but at least we do say what we mean.
Farage also emphasized policies that “are discriminatory in favour of British taxpayers and British people,” which he said is nothing less than “what a good, sensible country should do.” He pointed out that much of what he proposed was already happening every day in Anglo countries like Australia.
Another key point emphasized during the event was the long-term plan. Farage acknowledged that the contract put forward today could not be a program for government given his brand new party is not yet ready to challenge for Downing Street. However, he noted that it is still in the running to become the opposition, and for him to potentially lead what BBC described on Monday morning as a “centre-right coalition” to hold the likely incoming left-wing government to account.
Farage concluded by saying: “This election is for this party and for me the first important step on the road to 2029. Our aim and our ambition is to establish a bridgehead in Parliament and become a real opposition to a Labour government… our aim is to provide clear, consistent, and growing leadership during the course of the next Parliament. it’s my aim that we turn this into a big, genuine, mass movement of people and I believe that is actually highly achievable.