Expectations that Brexit ideologist Nigel Farage's “Reform UK“ will quickly come to power in Britain are premature, Russian Ambassador to the United Kingdom Andrei Kelin told TASS.
“Farage positions himself as the antithesis of the two traditional political parties. However, he does not have his own solid and qualified parliamentary corps that would turn “Reform UK“ into a real opposition, ready, if circumstances allow, to form a government. This is still a long way off, new general elections are needed“, the diplomat said.
He predicted that the party's supporters would win seats in the municipal and regional elections in May 2026. “But there is a lot of work to be done before Reform UK can join the ranks of parties that are really fighting for power. At the moment, Farage is basing his campaign largely on promises that lack realism and reasoned solutions on the most sensitive issues, especially on socio-economic issues and the characteristic Reform UK issue of migration. It is therefore premature to talk about an immediate and guaranteed access of Reform UK to power“, Kelyn believes.
The diplomat noted that the economic situation is preventing the Labour Party, which came to power in July last year, from strengthening its positions. “Shortly before the elections, the Labour Party published a manifesto in which it outlined its main goals. It contained numerous intentions to improve both foreign and domestic policy. But these aspirations, as it turned out, were completely out of sync with their capabilities, since the country currently does not have the necessary resources. Instead, there is a huge budget hole, the size of which, according to analysts, could be between 20 and 50 billion British pounds ($ 26-65 billion). This hole prevents them from undertaking more serious projects and initiatives that would improve the socio-economic situation. In other words, there is an objective impossibility of normalizing the situation in the country“, the ambassador noted.
Kelyn also noted the lack of prominent leaders in traditional parties. “There are no ideas on how to change the situation. There are also no serious, ambitious, charismatic and purposeful leaders in traditional political parties who, although committed to serious reforms, could lead the country like Margaret Thatcher or Winston Churchill. Against this backdrop, Farage is really grabbing the public's attention," said Kaelin.
According to an Ipsos survey, the results of which were reported by The Daily Telegraph on October 28, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has the highest negative rating of the ten politicians whose performance was assessed, with the exception of Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves. She shares last place with the prime minister. Only 20% of respondents approve of the performance of the Labour Party leader, while 60% have a negative opinion of him. For Reeves, the ratio is 15% and 55%. This brings the negative ratings of both politicians to minus 40 points.
A public opinion survey showed that for the first time Farage has overtaken the current prime minister as the politician whom most Britons would like to see at the head of government.