Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump.
| Photo Credit: AP

Former U.S. President Donald Trump celebrated the election of fellow populist Nigel Farage to Britain’s parliament on Friday, neglecting to mention the new Prime Minister, Keir Starmer.

Mr. Farage’s anti-immigration Reform UK party won the third largest vote haul, but under Britain’s electoral system it took just five seats while Mr. Starmer’s Labour party swept into office with a landslide.

“Congratulations to Nigel Farage on his big WIN of a Parliament Seat Amid Reform UK Election Success. Nigel is a man who truly loves his Country!” Mr. Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

Mr. Farage is a long-standing ally of Mr. Trump, who has dubbed the divorced father-of-four “Mr Brexit” and previously said the British populist would have done a “great job” as the U.K.’s ambassador to Washington.

Mr. Farage is a champion of Brexit who was elected to parliament on his eighth attempt and has made no secret of his desire to take over the now-main opposition Conservative party, which was trounced at the polls by Labour.

“There is a massive gap on the centre-right of British politics and my job is to fill it,” he said after a comfortable win in Clacton, eastern England.

The result bucks a rightward trend among Britain’s closest allies, with the far-right National Rally in France eyeing power and Mr. Trump looking set for a return in the United States.

Mr. Farage’s win will likely embolden the attention-grabbing populist figurehead in his long-term aim of staging a “takeover” of the Conservatives.

Millions of their voters appeared to have already switched their support to Reform, handing the Tories one of their worst-ever results.

An initial exit poll caused a stir Thursday night after predicting Reform would secure 13 seats — far exceeding forecasts in the latter stages of the campaign that it would win just a handful.

London:

A speech being delivered by Nigel Farage, the leader of Britain’s right-wing Reform UK party, was interrupted late Saturday when a banner of Russian President Vladimir Putin descended from the ceiling at an election rally.

Campaign group Led by Donkeys, which opposes Farage’s views, said it was responsible for the stunt at the Columbine Centre, at Walton on the Naze in southeast England, and posted a video of the unveiling on X.

That showed the banner slowly unfurling behind a speaking Farage, revealing a smiling Putin giving a thumbs-up sign, along with the words “I (heart emoji) Nigel”.

Led By Donkeys said on X: “Nigel Farage says Putin is the world leader he ‘admires the most’ and blames the West for Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.”

That was a reference to comments Farage made earlier this month when he said the eastward expansion of the European Union and NATO had provoked Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

The remarks, made in an interview with the BBC, drew strong criticism across the British political spectrum ahead of a July 4 national election in which Farage’s party is predicted to win millions of votes.

On seeing the banner, Farage said: “Who put that up there,” adding: “Someone at the Columbine Centre needs to get the sack.”

The audience then started chanting: “Rip it down.”

Reuters has sought comment from Reform UK.

Farage is seeking election as a lawmaker, or member of parliament (MP), in Clacton-on-Sea, which is nine miles from Walton on the Naze.

On Friday, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was hurt and angry that a supporter of Reform UK had been recorded making a racial slur about him, saying it was too important for him not to speak out.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Keir Starmer, the Labour Party leader, is currently in poll position to become the UK Prime Minister after the July 4 elections. While PM Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party faces an uphill battle to retain power, the return of Nigel Farage to front-line politics has only added to his woes. Leading the right-wing Reform UK, the pro-Brexit campaigner has been buoyed by a strong presence on TikTok.

The 60-year-old leader has become an unlikely breakout star on the app, with a five-second clip of him lip-synching Eminem’s “Guess Who’s Back?” pulling in over eight million views. 

Nigel Farage, the leader of the Reform UK (formerly the Brexit Party), taunts the British PM Rishi Sunak with Eminem’s “Without Me”. pic.twitter.com/Ym3uX0G2Vu

— The Eminem Bible (@Shadyind) June 15, 2024

Mr Farage’s TikTok account has twice the followers as Labour, the Conservatives, and the Liberal Democrats combined. The Reform UK’s TikTok presence stands out among political parties. With a following of 1,97,000, they far surpass their closest competitor, the Green Party. 

The Tories, Labour, and the Lib Dems did not even have official channels on the app until recently, with parody accounts the first to surface when users searched for the big three. By establishing a presence on TikTok, Mr Farage and Reform UK tapped into a younger demographic, setting themselves apart from other political parties.

The Conservatives top-performing clip, “this will change lives,” features British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promoting his national service policy, It has 4.2 million views. However, Labour’s 11-second response, a clever takedown using Cilla Black’s “Surprise, Surprise,” surpassed it with 5.1 million views.

???? NEW: Rishi Sunak has posted his first TikTok video pic.twitter.com/P0cAg0c8PW

— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) May 26, 2024

Nigel Farage’s success on TikTok comes courtesy of 23-year-old Jack Anderton, a self-described “concerned citizen” and right-wing Zoomer. “Zoomer” refers to a member of Generation Z, specifically someone born between 1997 and 2012.

Mr Anderton, a contractor for Farage, has been instrumental in creating content that resonates with a younger voter, as per Politico. His views align with Farage’s, and he has expressed concerns about immigration and Britain’s future. Mr Anderton represents the growing phenomenon of the “Zoomer Right,” a Gen Z conservative movement gaining traction across Europe. Polling shows a large proportion of 18-24-year-olds plan to vote for Reform UK than 25-29-year-olds.

Reform UK’s emergence on TikTok has surprised even party insiders. Initially, their views were modest, but as the party grew nationwide, their TikTok views “rocketed way ahead of any other platform,” says Matt Stevens, Reform’s press officer. 

This surge in popularity has been a pleasant surprise, given TikTok’s predominantly young demographic. Mr Stevens believes this age group is “crying out for change” after years of Conservative rule, making them a key audience for Reform’s message.