"Now it's funny because I spent nearly 21 years as a member of the European Parliament in Brussels, and with its monthly journey to Strasburg, and I have to say this place is very different indeed. It's smaller, there is not a chauffeur driven Mercedes available for each member, no large lump sums of money which you don't have to spend on anything and show no receipts for, and I wonder whether perhaps that's why so many in the British political system seem to adore the European Union so much," spoke Nigel Farage in his 2024 maiden speech, the first speech an MP makes when entering parliament.
Farage was an outsider to the UK political system, someone who positioned himself against the establishment. Playing political chords seen by populists throughout history, he was the face of rebellion, someone from the inside who wanted to rebel. Like Trump, the billionaire who wanted to tear down the establishment, Farage wanted to tear down the European Union's influence in British politics, and emphasized his inside knowledge. This was true of him then, and it's true of him now as his maiden speech from last year highlights, as he then called for a referendum on membership of the ECHR.
In 1992 with the Maastricht Treaty, the European Union was officially formed, absorbing its predecessor of the EEC (European Economic Community), and promoting further cooperation. Like many populists before him, Farage railed against the establishment and proclaimed himself the voice of the evil, arguing the key problems in Britain could be blamed on a single key outside problem: in his case, the European Union. The new European Union could be viewed as a "big bad", a force of outside influence and control that railed against British democracy.
Farage's rise to prominence was much slower than most populists, though. Farage was a founding member of the UK Independence Party in 1993, a small outcast party that slowly grew in attention over years and years. In 1997, a faction led by Farage ousted founder Alan Sked, and the populist became the new leading figure of the party, formalized nine years later when he officially became leader of it in 2006. "We are the real voice of opposition. We've got to end the public perception of UKIP as a single-issue party," spoke Farage in his maiden speech to the UKIP conference, "We are at the centre-ground of British public opinion."
What Farage brought to Euroskepticism in the UK was something special, though. He wasn't just moving away from the single-issue focus, as he declares reductively in 2006. No, he broadened it, framing that one single issue as the root cause of all issues in British politics. Like a spider web slowly branching out, the European Union was an issue that would infect all others.
One particularly insightful example of this is how he framed the European Union as the cause for Britain's immigration problems. Farage told voters that Brexit was an opportunity for Britons to get their country back. In 2014, he launched advertisements claiming that "British workers are hit hard by unlimited foreign labour" from tens of millions of unemployed European immigrants who were "after" their jobs. He called these posters "a hard-hitting reflection of reality as it is experienced by millions of British people", saying he shouldn't be bothered "ruffl[ing] a few feathers among the chattering classes." He was criticized for this, called a "poppycock" by Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg, who criticized him of framing "European withdrawal" as "a great revolutionary promise, held in stark contrast with the status quo offered by a homogeneous political elite."
Brexit, a word coined by political analyst Peter Wilding in 2012, grew wildly popular over the next four years until it became the "word of the year" selected by Collins English Dictionary in 2016. In September 2015, Farage launched a "'Brexit' campaign", calling it "the biggest outreach campaign in the history of the euroskeptic movement." "Only then," Farage added, would they "be able to put in place a migration policy that doesn't discriminate in favor of people from the EU." Immigration was now at the center of its platform, with billboards that read, "Only UKIP can be trusted to control our borders," right beside the face of a smiling Farage.
It would be deceptive to call Farage a key figure in the Brexit movement. No, he was the Brexit movement. Perhaps he wasn't the only politician or outspoken critic of Euroskepticism, and certainly didn't make it happen alone, but it was his political marketing that brought it to the forefront of British politics. Farage was the face of Brexit, and it was his campaigns and tactics that were so effective in popularizing it. Other Euroskeptic movements just couldn't catch the attention of the general populace before him, and they could only do so after by abusing his reputation. And by then, the movement had become mainstream as other parties used the rhetoric of Farage for their own means.
On June 23, 2016, the United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, colloquially named the Brexit referendum, was held. The referendum was technically advisory, but it would be political suicide to choose not to follow it. 52% voted in favor, and 48% voted against. "Let June the 23rd go down in our history as our Independence Day!" chanted Farage. Five days later, in a speech to the European Parliament, Farage declared, "When I came here 17 years ago and I said that I wanted to lead a campaign to get Britain to leave the European Union, you all laughed at me. Well, I have to say, you're not laughing now, are you?"
In the first quarter of 2017 was the bill then passed through parliament as Labour's whip declared they pass Article 50 to begin the process of withdrawing from the European Union. Following a four year transition period as politicians discussed and negotiated what exactly Brexit would mean, on January 1, 2021, as the new year began, the UK finally and officially exited the European Union. In place of its former membership would be a new free trade deal through the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement. The once fringe Brexit movement had finally been realized.
Brexit, despite being one seemingly simple issue, came with many promises. Brexit promised to free Britain from a seemingly totalitarian European super-state that would poison Britain's independent identity. Brexit promised to save Britain from a disastrous immigration crisis where leeches from the rest of Europe targeted a more glorious nation, trying to bring it down with the rest of them. Brexit promised to uplift Britain, cutting red tape that would allow small businesses to thrive and the British economy to revive. And above all else, Brexit promised to empower Britain, giving voters the power to voice their concerns against an establishment that never really seemed to care about them. But did Brexit work? Did it really fulfill its promises?
Brexit and Euroskeptics framed the EU as a totalitarian parasite, a "United States of Europe" that fundamentally undermined Britain's independence. True, the UK, like other countries, did have to give up some national sovereignty, but this was voluntary (as Brexit itself proved). And in exchange for this, the UK would have access to a wider market that it could participate in, and unique advantages within that market. The EU itself was also democratic, giving the UK a proportional say in its governance.
What about immigration, the basis of Farage's campaign and a key aspect of his unique marketing strategy. Leaving the European Union did pave the way for changes to the UK's immigration system, making it treat "EU citizens the same as those from the rest of the world" (excluding Ireland, of course.) Alongside this, the UK "reintroduced a post-study work visa" and in many ways made it easier for non-EU citizens to enter the UK through loosening of job requirements and new exceptions for certain social and seasonal positions. The composition of immigrants also changed, as non-EU migration increased substantially as EU immigration fell. Overall, migration actually increased quite significantly, and had to implement new policies to try to further restrict migration throughout 2024 and 2025.
What about the economy? Although promising to cut red tape, Brexit in actuality only created more red tape. By exiting the European Union (even with the new trade agreement), the UK antagonized its largest trading partner and imposed new barriers to trade between the two. Compared to other members of G7 (a forum of leaders of seven of the world's most influential nations), UK good exports have "lagged behind." Small businesses "have suffered the most", "find[ing] it harder to navigate the post-Brexit red tape." And with uncertainty regarding the future of the British economy, business investment stalled significantly. The Bank of England further expanded on this, placing high emphasis on "Brexit-related trade frictions" and "weaker consumer demand" from Brexit in their 2023 Monetary Policy Report.
And did Brexit really empower voters? Since the Brexit referendum in 2016, Brexit remorse has steadily increased. Today, only 31% maintain that voting for Brexit was the right choice, while 56% regret it according to polling from the Statistica Research Department. According to the Guardian in December 2023, only "one in 10 feel leaving the EU has helped their finances", and over 6x more participants believed Brexit had a positive effect on finances than a negative effect. Some polls have even more extreme results. Indeed, the general populace finds that leaving the European Union has only dampened their voices, giving them less of a say in economic matters, and isolating them from the rest of Europe.
Yet, for various other reasons, despite these failures and the Brexit remorse, Farage himself has only become more popular. Despite the failings of Brexit, Farage was honest. He said he would do something, and he got it done; even more so now than then does Farage seem to many like the politician who truly wants to enact the wills of the populace. Just as Labour thrived in the 2024 parliamentary election, Farage's new party, Reform UK (previously called The Brexit Party) had historic success as Farage himself became an MP. His movement only becomes more popular as Labour becomes less popular as discussed in Why Starmer can't resonate with voters. In July of 2024, Farage accused Reform protesters of being paid actors, saying, "The political establishment are in fear in private as to what happened last night with those results in the election." And a year later, Farage is only more popular than ever.
Farage was always cast to the side in politics, a fringe, isolated figure who railed against the establishment. But his clever political maneuvering and populist framing has now brought him to the center of British politics. Even with the failures of Brexit, Farage's popularity only expands as much of the public only connects more and more to his anti-establishment sentiments and promises of change.
Well, Farage, we're certainly not laughing now.