In praise of Count Binface July 15, 2026 By standing in the impending by-election in Clacton, Count Binface has more than proved his worth to both comedy and democracy, says James Ford I must confess to having a conflicted attitude to Count Binface. On the one hand, the former political adviser within me (who is, of course, a profound political snob) tends to [...]
Exclusive: Government to reject Reform’s offer to cover Farage by-election cost July 8, 2026 The government is set to reject Reform UK’s offer to cover the cost of the upcoming Clacton by-election to be contested by Nigel Farage, City AM understands, in a move that could leave the taxpayer facing a bill of more than £200,000. After Nigel Farage announced he would stand again for election in Clacton to [...]
Nigel Farage asks the crudest question: are you with me or against me? July 8, 2026 Calling a by-election in Clacton is a new tactic but Nigel Farage’s strategy is the same: simplify, polarise, demonise, says Eliot Wilson Whatever your opinion of Nigel Farage – and there’s a broad spectrum – he knows how to put on a show. The Reform UK leader has always been more Barnum than Bismarck, and [...]
‘If you find yourself stuck in politics, the thing to do is start a fight’ July 8, 2026 In the great work of historical fiction, Imperium, Robert Harris imagines the Roman statesman Cicero observing that “if you find yourself stuck in politics, the thing to do is start a fight.” Clacton may be a far cry from the ancient senate in Rome, but Nigel Farage has followed the playbook. Facing a parliamentary standards [...]
Farage quits to stand in ‘people versus establishment’ by-election July 7, 2026 Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has announced that he will resign as an MP and stand again as a candidate in an upcoming Clacton by-election as part of what he dubbed a battle of “people versus establishment”. In a video statement where he repeatedly attacked Sky News and The Times and Sunday Times for “harassing” [...]
Brits say Burnham should call an election July 7, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer is set to leave Downing Street on 20 July and a majority of Brits believe Andy Burnham should call a snap election when he takes over. Nearly two thirds of voters (65 per cent) believe a new Prime Minister should call an immediate general election as opposed to 29 per cent who [...]
Investors in Farage-backed Bitcoin venture get burnt after stock slides July 6, 2026 Brits who bought shares in a crypto venture backed by Nigel Farage have seen their investment tumble by more than a third in the space of just three months. In March, Farage threw his weight behind Stack BTC, an Aquis-listed Bitcoin firm, investing hundreds of thousands of pounds to become one of the company’s largest [...]
Fractured politics has its upsides – trust me, I led Vote Leave June 30, 2026 For all the challenges of multi-party politics, the policy competition it encourages is already bearing fruit, writes former Vote Leave chief Matthew Elliott.
Is ‘Stop Reform’ now the most powerful force in UK politics? June 25, 2026 They may be dominating all the opinion polls, but have Reform hit a wall? James Ford considers if the party has peaked. Something is going very badly wrong for Reform UK. They are supposed to be the next big thing. The coming men. The heirs apparent. The real opposition. Yet, while they still top every [...]
The Debate: Should the resignation of the Prime Minister trigger a general election? June 24, 2026 As prime ministerial resignations have accelerated, so too have calls for consequent snap elections. We explore the pros and cons.