Nigel Farage has predicted that strikes, protests, and riots could erupt if Reform UK makes it into No 10, reports BritPanorama.
He compared a potential Reform government to those led by Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, and Donald Trump, claiming that Britain would become “a third-world country” if Reform did not win and implement change.
Speaking on American podcast The Benny Show, Mr. Farage warned, “As soon as we try and make a difference, there’ll be strikes, there’ll be protests, there’ll be riots, there’ll be abuse, there’ll be physical threats.”
This acknowledgment of potential chaos follows a series of hardline policy proposals from the party amid ongoing protests in the U.S. concerning immigration enforcement activities, where demonstrators have faced violence.
Reform UK stirred controversy earlier this week when Robert Jenrick hinted that Royal Marines might be authorized to fire upon illegal migrants in the English Channel, although the party subsequently retracted this statement.
Moreover, the party’s proposed drastic immigration measures — including a five-year suspension of asylum rights and mass deportations — threaten to ignite widespread unrest. Reform UK is also considering cutting government expenditure by £100 billion within the first 100 days of governance, a move that could provoke significant job losses and cuts to welfare provisions, deepening public dissatisfaction.
Mr. Farage has committed to bringing Donald Trump’s former ICE adviser, Tom Homan, to the UK to enhance border security, aiming for mass deportations. Homan had a key role in shaping the controversial family-separation policy during Trump’s administration.
Public sentiment appears to be shifting against Reform; a recent More in Common poll indicated a 12-point drop in the party’s support over the past year, now standing at just 21 percent.
During his conversation with Benny Johnson, a U.S. media figure aligned with Trump, Mr. Farage referenced ceding the Chagos Islands to the United States.
Johnson faces a defamation lawsuit from two Illinois residents for labeling them “left-wing terrorists” during their protests against ICE, although no court ruling has been issued yet regarding his claims.
Meanwhile, noted historian Lord Peter Hennessy commented on the podcast that a Reform government could drastically alter the constitution, disrupting the processes for recruiting and promoting senior civil servants and possibly interfering with judicial selections. He expressed concern that such changes could dismantle existing democratic frameworks.
Hennessy remarked on the vulnerabilities observed during Boris Johnson’s tenure, suggesting that “so much would go in one” and that recovering from such a loss would be exceedingly difficult.
Akiko Hart, director at Liberty, voiced her concerns regarding the UK’s constitutional integrity, stating that it relies heavily on convention and informal agreements. “To safeguard our democracy and the rule of law,” she asserted, “the government must implement checks against overreach, defending judicial review in the process.”
“A more resilient constitution will help protect our democratic freedoms now and for future generations,” she added.
Reform UK has been approached for comment.
