Both Nigel Farage, also known as Mr. Brexit, and President Donald Trump appear locked in what could be described as a state of quantum entanglement. Their joint political fortunes seem to rise and fall in tandem despite the vast Atlantic Ocean separating their physical locations and, indeed, their ideological outlooks. And while Trump hardly needs advice on how to shock the chattering classes with unlikely comebacks, his party would do well to take note of what is happening in the United Kingdom.
Building From the Ground Up
In a parliamentary system, any political superstar hoping to lead the nation cannot do so as a one-man wrecking crew. The hopeful politico needs to have a party behind him (or her) so that, when a majority is achieved, it will then elevate the leader to the top spot. Farage is currently the head of the most minority of minority parties in Westminster, and yet all the polling (yes, all) has him ready to win a majority in the 2029 election and become the first outsider elevated to prime minister in more than 100 years.
One might wonder how he has forced the two main parties (the ruling Labour and the seemingly defunct Tories) into abject panic and is now living entirely rent-free in the current PM’s beleaguered mind.
On May 1, Britain went to the polls – not for a general election but for the often-overlooked local council elections. These are regular folks with day jobs who spend part of their week making decisions on the portion of spending that is not doled out by the government. Farage’s Reform Party took these elections by storm, winning a princely 677 of the available 1,641 up for grabs – 30% in total, against second-place Labour (the ruling party) with a disastrous 20%.
The story, however, is much bigger.
Tipping Point for Farage
There are more than 20,000 council seats in the UK, so 1,600 is no great shakes. But this was a tipping point moment, one in which the British public became aware that an insurgent party could topple the dominance of the two-party system. When the other 18,000-plus seats go through their own contests over the next few years, Farage’s Reform looks poised to massively increase its share from 30% and become the most-represented party in the country, upward of a potential 7,000 elected posts – all before the general election.
This particular strategy is one that the Democratic Party has used to some success and that the Republican Party has generally been a little slow to adopt. And this makes a difference. It’s all well and good to have the top spots in the US Senate or House, but politics is local, and the day-to-day issues that impact voters are more often dealt with at a community level in offices or meetings within a short drive from their homes. And whom do they meet there?
More often than not, an elected official – be it a county supervisor, a school board member, or even a dog catcher – and that individual is part of a wider party effort to wield power within the district. The GOP ignores these small but potent positions at its peril. For many who have sought these offices, bucking the blame to the opposition for problems and taking the credit for triumphs is second nature.
While Farage has understood this “politics-is-local” message, with his army of newly elected council members, he’s upping the ante.
A Grassroots DOGE?
By winning a trove of local councillors, the party has gained majority control of ten councils across the country; from north to south, Nigel intends to capitalize on the powers they have. Following in the footsteps of Trump and Elon Musk, Farage has determined that what each of these councils needs is the DOGE approach – and he’s right.
Due to massive mismanagement, a vast number of councils are facing technical “bankruptcy” (more rightly, they have been served a Section 114 notice, meaning they do not have the funds to meet their financial obligations). A significant portion of the council spending comes from the central government, but a large chunk comes courtesy of the “council tax,” applied to every household. But where does the money go?
Much like those of the United States, taxpayer funds are spent on ideological exercises involving DEI, dodgy contracts for friendly donors, and the like. Farage has vowed that his councils will root out waste and fraud and try to balance the books with his DOGE initiative. He announced the effort, saying, “[G]overnment at all levels [has] not been looking after taxpayers' money.” Essentially, he has taken a national strategy from Trump and turned it into a grassroots effort starting at the lowest level of government.
Lessons Abound
Winning the presidency and control of the Senate and House is great for the GOP, but when it comes to the ground game, Republicans remain at a disadvantage. Democrats are sweeping up local races for positions that are not even on most people’s radar. This brings influence, access, and ultimately power – both fiscal and administrative. Each big election season, the GOP has to start again building movements in states and cities while their opposition merely engages the folks they already have in place.
Farage has offered the blueprint: make every election matter, build a network, and treat what you have as if it were the very federal government itself. He came out of retirement exactly one year ago this week to create a movement that would rock the political establishment. As the odds-on favorite to be the next prime minister, few would argue that he has not achieved that – and all of it was attained at the local level.
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