I’d like to deviate from my usual US-centric ramblings today to talk about the resignation of Keir Starmer as Prime Minister of the UK trhis week, but please stick with me because I believe it is very relevant to the collective situation we find ourselves in globally because of the march of right wing social Darwinism attempting to sweep across Europe, with a helping handof course from the regime of a convicted felon in the White House.
Starmer’s resignation should give everyone pause for thought, because he was actually one of the good guys. Unfortunately, he was not a man capable of governing in a world now dominated by social media and alternative facts. Propaganda by the populist far right is helped on its way by a mainstream media that sadly appears to carry the water for hard-right politicians for fear of being labelled woke.
My American friends will be all too familiar with the playbook: stoke fear and division and weaponise immigration for political gain. In order to understand what brought us to the day when a perfectly decent and honourable man fell on his sword, we have to reflect on what got us to this sad indictment of democracy. It would be safe to say that we live in a world of sound bites and alternative facts, as exported from the US. There is no better evidence of Nigel Farage’s close alignment with the Trump regime than Trump’s own words when he welcomed him to Trump Tower following his election in November 2016.
As reported by Esther Webber in Politico at the end of June 2024:
“There he is. There’s my Nigel!” Donald Trump beamed as he welcomed one of the first visitors to his office after being elected U.S. president.
That notorious Trump Tower meeting in November 2016 cemented a lasting alliance between two of the most recognizable and divisive figures in Western politics.
Trump hailed Nigel Farage — the noisy right-wing agitator of British politics — as “Mr. Brexit,” even touting him as a possible ambassador to the U.S.
I have been inside Labour politics all my life, and it’s never been an easy place to be. In 1997, Labour had a chance to change everything for the better when Tony Blair stormed Number 10 Downing Street, only to create Conservative Lite and fall victim to the seduction of self-enrichment. As a result of the conservative rule, Labour flirted with the ultra-progressive politics of Jeremy Corbyn, who, in December 2019, led Labour to the Party’s biggest defeat since 1935. If you want to look at some excellent analysis of why the British people rejected Corbyn’s proposition, you could do a lot worse than reading a piece in The Guardian by Tom Kibasi dated December 16th 2019, in which Tom noted:
Labour needs the serenity to accept the things it cannot change, the courage to change the things it can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
I zoom in on this statement because it remains true today. The problem Corbyn had was the same as that of the so-called US ‘radical left’, which, by the way, has never been radical when compared to the left across Europe. Corbyn was painted as a radical left socialist who had in the past tolerated antisemitism, supported the IRA and ‘other’ terrorists, had a dislike of the monarchy and was not a big fan of defence spending. What was not to like about, as Tom put it:
Displaying precisely the message discipline that Labour lacked, the Conservatives’ offer of 20,000 more police officers, 50,000 more nurses, and 40 new hospitals was judged more believable, even if each false claim could be easily debunked. In an age marked by cynicism, much of the public simply do not believe the promises made by politicians. Labour’s answer was to make even more promises. Their approach was like asking activists and voters to drink water from a fire hydrant.
In short, the Conservatives did just what Trump did in 2024, offering a set of promises they knew full well they could not deliver. You have to remember that this was at the time when negotiations were in full swing for the disastrous move to leave the EU. The belief was that Boris Johnson, another Trump devotee, would ‘get Brexit done’ and the land of milk and honey was just around the racist corner.
Let me be unequivocally clear: Brexit has been an unmitigated disaster by any measure. In a piece by Faisal Islam for the BBC on June 19th 2026, he opened with:
The UK economy has taken a 6% hit from the effects of Brexit, according to economists' analysis of internal Bank of England data about the decisions, views and financial results of thousands of British companies since the referendum a decade ago.
He continues to quote Andrew Bailey, the manager of the Bank of England
“I think the level of activity and growth in the economy has been lower.
“And the reason for that is that if you reduce the size of the markets that we trade with, so we reduce our export markets, then that does tend to have a negative impact on growth,” he said, adding that productivity and the size of the market were also affected.
Nothing terrifies the right in British politics more than the thought of rejoining the EU, despite it being the logical thing to do given the catastrophic damage it has and continues to do to the US economy. The parallel between US and UK politics at this moment is notable. The US has Trump and MAGA, the UK has Farage and UK Reform. Just as in the US, the UK media provides a free pass to Farage, who is rarely held to account for the deluge of disinformation his party spreads via social media.
A good example would be the £5 million Farage received from Thai-based crypto tycoon Christopher Harborne. In a report by Anna Isaac in The Guardian on 29th April 2026, she noted:
Nigel Farage was given £5m by the crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne shortly before announcing he would stand in the 2024 British general election, the Guardian can reveal.
Farage had stated he did not intend to stand as a prospective MP but U-turned in June 2024, within weeks of receiving the personal gift from the Thailand-based businessman.
In July 2024, Farage became an MP for the first time and has since stated he now expects to become prime minister at the next general election.
She correctly goes on to note:
Parliamentary rules state that any benefits should be declared for the 12 months before taking up office as an MP, depending on whether it was for political or personal purposes. The rules state: “If there is any doubt, the benefit should be registered.”
Farage has told a variety of fairytales when it comes to what the £5 million ‘gift’ was for. He’s claimed it was for security, but this has now morphed into it was a ‘reward’ for his relentless pursuit of Brexit, although, for some bizarre reason, he doesn’t like to talk about Brexit now, given the damage it’s done to the UK economy. Farage claims he has broken no rules because it was a personal gift given to him before he became a politician.
He’s like a child who has been caught red-handed with his hand in the cookie jar with crumbs on his chin, claiming innocence. At the time he received the money, he was the majority shareholder of Reform UK, which was established and operates as a private limited company, rather than a traditional membership-based democratic party. So at the time, he received £5 million from a Thai-based crypto tycoon (Christopher Harborne), he literally ‘OWNED’ a political Party. As reported by James Hanson in The Spectator on June 24th 2026:
Since that gift was made, Reform has published a draft crypto-assets bill, which would allow taxes to be paid in cryptocurrency and cut tax on crypto gains. Farage has also said he opposed a central bank digital currency, a stance which may be enormously helpful to the likes of Harborne. There was also the remarkable moment on LBC last September, when – completely unprompted – Farage singled out and promoted Tether, a stablecoin in which Harborne owns a 12 per cent stake.
The point is, Trump and Farage are cut from the same cloth; cash-for-access is the name of the game. From a geopolitical perspective, Trump is very aware of the political advantages of having a lapdog at the heart of the British government. Farage has proved to be a loyal follower, and there is no doubt that with Farage as Prime Minister, the ‘special relationship’ would take on a whole new meaning.
The critical point here is that we are in the midst of an existential fight to save democracy on both sides of the Atlantic. The Trump regime’s support for the far-right AfD in Germany is no secret, and at the moment. As reported by John Kampfner in politico.eu on June 25th 2026:
What once seemed seconded only to the realm of theory is now in danger of becoming reality: the establishment of the country’s first AfD-led state government after the election in the eastern region of Saxony-Anhalt.
In an all to familiar refrain in our new upside-down world, Kampfner continues:
‘… no matter what hits come the party’s way — whether it be the vagaries of U.S. President Donald Trump, the threats of cozying up to Russian President Vladimir Putin or ongoing internal allegations of nepotism, spying and corruption — there are no signs of its appeal fading. It is the new Teflon party.’
While the upcoming September elections in Germany are regional elections, should the AfD take control of Saxony-Anhalt, which seems likely given that they appear to be consistently polling at around 40%, the implications are more than consequential. The AfD understands that the strength of democracy is also its weakness. By focusing effort on this region of just 2 million Germans, their control of it can absolutely throw a wrench into the machinery of government without question. Kampfner notes:
It would affect the upper house of parliament, the Bundesrat, which is made up of the country’s 16 states. It would make it extremely difficult for the bodies that coordinate regional administrations to share information. And it would send ripples across the federal parliament, the Bundestag, as well as the government of Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
The important point here is that the march of populist nationalism on both sides of the Atlantic presents an absolute threat to democracy as we know it. In many ways, Project 2025 has succeeded beyond the wildest dreams of its authors. For the oligarchs to achieve their global economic dominance, they need compliant state actors, and that’s why advocacy for far-right political movements across the world is all part of the Trump regime plan.
Now, before you chirp in, this is far bigger than Trump. I absolutely concur. However, he and populist political leaders worldwide are critical to achieving the objective. They are the Pied Pipers required to lead their respective populations to a new world of economic slave colonies.
In the next part of this short series of posts, I want to discuss the opportunity in the UK to break the fever of right-wing populism, in the form of Andy Burnham, who looks set to replace Keir Starmer as UK Prime Minister. I hope you will stick with this series of posts, because I think the Democrats in the US could learn a valuable lesson on how to counter the ongoing threat in the US. I have had a week to give careful thought to constructive solutions moving forward, and I’m keen to share them for your deliberation.
Great piece. But we haven't learn from our past which means if we don't get with it we will repeat it.
Well Martin the US & UK are plagued by the same corruption . Is Burnham another problem ?
At least so far a gifted plane has not arrived.✌️