Time for reality check as Farage sets his sights on Downing Street

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage with his party's candidates during a campaign event in Stafford during last week's local elections in England (Picture: Jacob King/PA Wire)

In many parts of England, they out-polled the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats reshaping the political landscape. In doing so, they have effectively become the primary electoral threat to the main parties south of the border. During the Scottish independence referendum, we were repeatedly told that the notion Boris Johnson could become prime minister was nonsense. The UK was sensible enough to prevent this from happening, many commentators said. Time for a reality check: Johnson did become prime minister and his premiership brought a tsunami of political, cultural and economic damage. Let us learn from this very real lesson. Let us take seriously the fact there is a very real and credible possibility that Nigel Farage could enter Downing Street. His message, rooted in division and populism, is gaining traction. Reform UK is not just splitting the Tory and Labour vote, the parties are beginning to fuel his success.

The Conservative Party, desperate to stem its losses, is shifting ever further to the right. From inflammatory rhetoric on immigration to increasingly hardline social policy, one would reasonably think they are preparing for a possible electoral pact with Farage’s party. If we need any more evidence of this, the election of Andrea Jenkyns is it. Until recently a Conservative MP and minister, Jenkyns’ decision to stand, and win, for Reform shows just how porous the boundary between the Tory right and Farage’s party has become. It is clear that those who were very recently at the heart of Conservative policymaking now feel entirely at home in Reform.

Labour on the other hand have been making one decision after another which is damaging to the public; from cuts to winter fuel payments and disability benefits, to broken promises on reducing energy costs and saving Grangemouth. Elsewhere in the world, we are seeing how populism can be pushed back. In both Australia and Canada voters rejected hard-right campaigns in favour of stable moderate leadership. Those victories weren’t achieved by copying the language of populists, but by standing up to it. The lesson is clear; you don’t beat Farage by imitating him – you beat him by offering something better.

In Scotland, that better alternative exists. The SNP remains the only consistent, credible force capable of protecting Scotland from the worst instincts of Westminster. While Labour and the Tories court right-wing populism south of the border, the SNP is focused on delivering for the people of Scotland – on public services, economic growth, climate action, social justice and democratic renewal. Indeed, business confidence in Scotland is higher than elsewhere in the UK, and Scotland is the only place in the UK where poverty is expected to go down. Simple, but key, indicators that we are charting the correct path. The rise of Reform UK is not just a warning to England – it is a warning to all of us. The idea that Nigel Farage could become prime minister is no longer far-fetched. It is a scenario that must be taken seriously. Scotland has a choice. We can either be swept along by the same forces pulling Westminster to the hard right, or we can choose a different path. To keep the Scottish Government Farage Free, vote SNP.

Angus Robertson is SNP MSP for Edinburgh Central and Constitution, External Affairs and Culture Secretary