Reform byelection campaign risks a replay of the Johnson error
Nigel Farage finds himself in an unusual situation, facing a candidate dressed as a space alien with a bin for a head in a byelection, while internal party optimism masks the risk of repeating Boris Johnson-era mistakes.
Nigel Farage's byelection campaign has taken an unexpected turn, as he fights for re-election against a candidate pretending to be a space alien with a bin for a head. Despite the bizarre circumstances, the mood inside Reform UK is upbeat, with one insider saying of the prospect of a double byelection: "Bring it on." Farage is an enthusiastic campaigner and appears to relish the "Clacton versus the establishment" message, even if it means doing it twice within weeks.
Farage had expected the standards commissioner, investigating a £5m gift, to report back this week with a highly critical verdict, potentially triggering a recall petition. To seize the initiative, he pre-emptively resigned and announced he would stand again. However, the first surprise came when the commissioner widened the investigation to include allegations from the Sunday Times about undeclared assistance from George Cottrell, a convicted fraudster and long-term Reform ally.
The decision to call the byelection was made days before this development, but Farage pressed ahead. The second surprise was the swift decision by all major parties to boycott the election, leaving Farage to face only a candidate pretending to be a space alien. In an interview, Farage admitted he had not seen this coming: "No, of course not. Why would they? It's a real election."
Reform UK and its allies have been arguing that Labour and other parties are disrespecting the electorate. Deputy leader Richard Tice made chicken noises on GB News, while Robert Jenrick called the standards process a "kangaroo court" and "a stitch-up" on LBC. This language echoes the Boris Johnson era, when his allies similarly labeled investigations into lockdown parties a "kangaroo court."
One lesson from the Johnson era is that the public is largely relaxed about sleaze allegations until they suddenly are not. In triggering an entirely optional byelection, Farage has given his opponents several more weeks to repeat the allegations about his finances.
