On the 4th of July 2024, after 7 successive failed attempts, Nigel Farage finally secured a parliamentary seat in Westminster, winning Clacton for Reform UK with 46.2% of the vote. He first attempted to win Eastleigh in 1994 where he managed just 1.7% of the vote. His last attempt was a bid for South Thanet in 2015, where he claimed a somewhat respectable 32.45%. This year, however, Farage’s luck was in. After stepping in as Leader of Reform UK in June and targeting the seat of Clacton in Essex, he ousted the incumbent Conservative MP, Giles Watling and overturned a huge majority. But his victory has been marked by controversy after a wave of divisive rhetoric and disinformation during the summer riots. Moreover, despite being mere months into his term, Clacton’s new MP was more focused on getting his friend into the White House than on the people of Clacton.
On the 4th of November, the day before America took to the polls, Farage flew out to the US. His post on X stated: “Just landed in America with @GBNews. A Trump win will make the world a safer place.”
A few hours later, he posted again, having arrived at the Trump rally in Reading, Pennsylvania. In a photo, Farage can be seen wearing a blue cap with the infamous ‘Make America Great Again’ slogan plastered across it. In most cases, I have no issue with people travelling from the United Kingdom to campaign in America, but this stinks of hypocrisy, given Farage’s criticism of Labour over activists travelling to the States to canvas for the Democratic candidate, Kamala Harris. The leader of a political party travelling across the Atlantic to campaign whilst the UK Parliament is sitting is disgraceful and a huge insult not only to the constituents of Clacton, who elected Farage to represent them in Westminster, but to all UK voters.
The fact that Farage has been given a team of PR advisers by former colleague Steve Bannon tells us a lot about the right wing forces powering Farage’s ideology, and what he thinks of the constituents that elected him to the Commons. The former Trump strategist remains a highly controversial figure, until recently serving time for refusing to comply with the subpoena from the January 6th Committee.
On what he thinks of parliamentary procedure, we don’t have to go far. MPs are required to declare and register any benefits they receive which relate to their membership of the Commons or political activities if provided by a source outside the UK. Farage has not declared the support he received stateside to Parliament in what can only be viewed as a damning indifference to, and lack of respect for, his parliamentary colleagues and the voters of Clacton.
Not only is Farage’s absence damning, it is also ironic. Farage was quick to grill the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, over the “two-tier” justice system which saw the imprisonment of his fellow right wing sycophants, following their riots earlier this year, whilst other prisoners were released. Farage’s journey across the pond has meant that not only has he missed another opportunity to take up this rant again at Justice oral questions, but has also missed opportunities to raise the issue at PMQs. It seems, like his American pal, that Farage not only shows gleeful contempt for democracy, but for the responsibilities of the office he has craved for so long.
Farage said that the US will become a better place with Trump ascending to the Oval Office once again, but urged his dear friend to not fight the result if he lost to Kamala Harris. Now, I don’t know about you, but a situation in which Farage becomes the voice of reason is most certainly a dire one. Nevertheless, it speaks volumes that since being elected to Parliament, Farage has proven a better champion for Trump than he has been for Clacton.
In a time where liberal values and the central tenets of democracy are under threat, we should be holding politicians accountable, and making sure they are doing their jobs. Besides, is it not odd that such a British, flag-waving nationalist should be out of the country he so desperately wants to save?
Image: Wikimedia Commons/The White House (Tia Dufour)
Licence: Public Domain.
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