In the United Kingdom, the electoral rise of the far right underscores the decline of the Conservatives

Two by-elections, two wins for Labour. Keir Starmer, the more cautious leader of the Labor Party, said on Friday morning, February 16, the results of the polls organized the day before in the two constituencies of Wellingborough (Central England) and Kingswood (West of England) could be satisfied. Conservatives, declared. “The country is demanding change, the NHS [le service public de santé] It's not working, there's a purchasing power crisis, the Conservatives have failed for fourteen years and people can see that Labor has changed.”He explained.

Although he refuses to let himself be carried away, Keir Starmer now allows himself to be considered one “Credible Candidate” To become prime minister after the general election expected in the autumn. What progress has been made since the 2019 assembly elections, when our party suffered its worst defeat since 1935…

But more than a Labor wave, the two by-elections scheduled for Thursday will above all illustrate the Conservatives' decline. These are caught in pincers. On the one hand, the opposition has effectively rebuilt itself at the center under the leadership of Keir Starmer. On the other hand, the emergence of a sovereign and anti-immigration party, Reform UK, is losing votes on the right. “It's a Perfect Storm”Ratings at Social Network X Gavin Barwell, former Prime Minister Theresa May's chief of staff.

The long shadow of Nigel Farage

In both Kingswood and Wellingborough, Labor won with 45% of the vote, with the Conservatives on 35% and 25% respectively, down 21 and 38 points compared to their 2019 results. And in both cases, Reform UK came third with 10% and 13% of the vote. In Kingswood, the electoral rise of this minor party was enough to explain the defeat of the Conservatives.

Behind this relative newcomer to the British political scene lies the long shadow of Nigel Farage. The Reform UK is the successor to the Brexit Party, which was dominated by populists for two decades following UKIP (United Kingdom Independence Party). It will be led from 2021 by Richard Dice, a businessman and long-time traveling companion of Nigel Farage who says he is ready to step down at any time.

Nigel Farage, who did so much to make Brexit happen, may not have an active post within a reformed UK today without the Electoral Commission – he is its honorary chairman – but he remains at the center of political debate. Now a TV anchor on GB News Channel, a kind of Fox News with a British twist, he has been dealing with the suspense over his return to politics for months.

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