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Charity watchdog to criticise ‘intimidation’ after Farage calls for prosecution of groups helping asylum seekers
Charity commissioner to use speech to say there is a difference between ‘heated discussion’ and harassment or abuse
How Two Crypto Billionaires Are Making British Politics More American
A pair of low-profile entrepreneurs gave $100 million to Nigel Farage’s Reform U.K. Party. The system may never be the same.
If Russia had interfered with the Brexit vote, Nige would have been the first to know
Burnham was lying, Farage told a press conference on Monday. This was clearly just another plot to undermine him
Prosecutor says man charged in killing of British ex-politician tried to break into Farage's home
LONDON (AP) — A man accused of killing former British politician Ann Widdecombe tried to break into the home of anti-immigration Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage about a year
Prosecutor says man charged in killing of British ex-politician tried to break into Farage's home
A prosecutor says a man accused of killing former British politician Ann Widdecombe allegedly tried to break into Nigel Farage’s home about a year earlier
Prosecutor says man charged in killing of British ex-politician tried to break into Farage's home
LONDON (AP) — A man accused of killing former British politician Ann Widdecombe tried to break into the home of anti-immigration Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage about a year earlier, a prosecutor said Wednesday.
Prosecutor says man charged in killing of British ex-politician tried to break into Farage's home
A prosecutor says a man accused of killing former British politician Ann Widdecombe allegedly tried to break into Nigel Farage's home about a year earlier.
Nandy labels Farage ‘master of conspiracy theory’ over Fairford claims
Culture secretary tells event at Labour conference Reform UK leader is exploiting public anxiety
Reform and the UAE – a threat to British politics
By Alex Carlen The United Arab Emirates likes to present itself as part of the solution to the climate crisis. The oil-rich Gulf state has committed to Net Zero by 2050, hosted COP 28, and even declared “championing climate action” as one of three strategic objectives for this week’s session of the United Nations General Assembly. But behind the scenes the UAE has quietly built one of its closest political relationships in Europe with the party most hostile to climate action in Britain: Nigel Farage’s Reform UK. There is no evidence that the UAE is funding Reform. But a new FairSquare report, Petro-populism: the UAE–Reform threat, published today, documents a growing political relationship that should concern anyone interested in the integrity of British democracy. Reform’s leaders have embraced the UAE’s political model and promoted positions that align closely with the Emirati government’s priorities, while the UAE has given Farage and his party unusually warm access and public backing. What is emerging is not simply a relationship between British politicians and a wealthy Gulf state, but a channel through which an authoritarian government can cultivate political influence here, and abroad. Democracy for Sale relies on its readers. If you already support us, thanks so much. If you don’t, sign up to support fearless independent investigative journalism. Subscribe Back in January, Nigel Farage appeared at a GB News event in Dubai. On the 50th floor of a tower overlooking the luxury resorts and upscale residences of Palm Jumeirah, the Reform leader declared: “I want Clacton to look like this.” At the event – which Farage never declared on his official register of interests – senior Emirati officials mixed with British expats. Farage was keen to flatter. “We recognise you are our friends”, he said, assuring them that “a Brexit London, a Reform London, will remember you.” Controversy surrounding Reform’s finances and its susceptibility to foreign influence have centred around high-profile donations from billionaire crypto donors, and the jailing of Nathan Gill, Reform’s former leader in Wales, for accepting bribes to give pro-Russia speeches. Far less attention has been paid to Reform’s blossoming new alliance with the UAE, an oil-rich authoritarian state with a track record of ruinous anti-democratic interventions. Farage wasn’t always so fond of the UAE. Back in 2023 he called it an “absolute monarchy with an abysmal human rights record.” Now Reform’s hierarchy calls the UAE home. Deputy leader Richard Tice splits his time between his constituency and Dubai and has called on the UK to learn from the UAE. The party’s treasurer Nick Candy runs a firm which has been in partnership with a UAE-state linked firm since 2024. Nadhim Zahawi sits on the board of an Abu Dhabi think tank alongside an array of the most senior UAE officials and is reportedly close to three brothers of the country’s despotic ruler Mohammed Bin Zayed. Reform’s leading lights have effusively praised the UAE’s governance model, defended it from criticism, and advanced its political agenda in the UK. GB News, whose two major shareholders – the Legatum Foundation and Paul Marshall – have strong links to the UAE, has been more than happy to broadcast UAE propaganda and was forced to pay damages in 2025 after airing a false claim about a UK charity by the UAE “disinfluencer” Amjad Taha. The UAE has responded in kind. When the UAE Minister for Foreign Affairs conducted an official visit to the UK in May, Farage was the only non-government figure granted an audience. UAE state media publicised the meeting, and said that they discussed “the strategic relations between the two countries and ways to enhance them in a manner that serves mutual interests.” For the UAE these ‘mutual interests’ largely concern its paranoia over political Islam, and in this regard the UAE-Reform alliance is part of a broad and troubling pattern. Following a crackdown on dissent at home in the aftermath of the Arab Spring, the UAE has offered material and political support to a range of violent and authoritarian actors willing to oppose the Muslim Brotherhood with no regard for the consequences. Its meddling in Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, and most notably Sudan, have been devastating. The UAE’s strategy of seeking out partners on the political fringes who it believes will advance its interests is not unique to Britain – it extends beyond the Middle East to Europe and the US. In France, it has offered clandestine support to Marine Le Pen through secret meetings, as well allegedly funding trips to the region after which Le Pen returned with a renewed focus on the UAE’s perceived enemies – Qatar and the Muslim Brotherhood. Left-wing opposition leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon has accused the UAE of smearing him and of “encouraging discrimination, hatred or violence”. In the US, the UAE actively supported the rise of Donald Trump, establishing itself as a key ally during both his first and second terms. Around these relationships sits a wider ecosystem of figures willing to amplify UAE narratives, that even extends to Andrew Tate and Tommy Robinson. Subscribe In Britain, the UAE has used a combination of aggressive diplomacy and illicit, disruptive tactics to achieve its policy goal of eliminating any perceived threat from political Islam. In 2012, for instance, it threatened to block billion-pound arms deals with the UK and stop inward investment if David Cameron did not act against the Muslim Brotherhood and rein in the BBC’s coverage of the group – going so far as to suggest, with no supporting evidence, that the group had infiltrated the BBC. It has financed smear campaigns against a high-profile UK charity and funded a mercenary to secretly surveil, and possibly assassinate, a British national on British soil. In Reform UK, the UAE has finally found an ally willing to not only ban the Muslim Brotherhood, but to publicly vilify the group and repeat the UAE’s claims that dangerous Muslims are a fifth column in British society, a narrative that aligns with the Islamophobia and anti-immigration sentiments that underpin Reform’s populist politics. The Rycroft review into foreign interference concluded that “hostile states and non-state actors have a clear incentive to attempt to undermine UK democracy.” The UAE’s network and alliance with Reform must be understood within that framework. It is a powerful, disruptive and deeply authoritarian actor with the resources and networks to intervene in our politics, and a track-record of doing so in a multitude of other countries. The evidence of the threat the UAE poses is overwhelming. The question is whether parliamentarians are willing to call the UAE out and demand action using the tools that the government has to respond. Placing the UAE on the “Enhanced Tier” of the Foreign Registration scheme alongside Russia and Iran would send a powerful signal to the UAE that its meddling will no longer be tolerated, and would place Farage’s next trips to the UAE under the scrutiny they deserve. Alex Carlen is research and advocacy manager at London based human rights organisation FairSquare and author of its new report Petro-populism: the UAE–Reform threat. Subscribe
Why politicians should pay more attention to the polls (reprise)
Welcome to the 231st edition of The Week in Polls (TWIP), a polling newsletter that always welcomes new readers. So please don’t keep TWIP a secret; share it with your friends and colleagues: Share The Week in Polls With all the stories swirling around Reform, JL Partners and political polling, I am finally tearing myself away from talking about the regulation of polling this week - and instead re-running a previous piece reminding us why the solution to problems with polls isn’t simply to ban or ignore them. Rather, we need them to play a vital role in making our politics - and politicians - better. This is followed by summaries of the latest national voting intention polls, seat projections from MRPs and the most recent party leader ratings. Subscribers who pay for the full edition can also read ten insights from the latest polls and analyses, including: A trio of organisations and a pair of professors have been casting their eyes over the Liberal Democrats ahead of the party’s autumn conference; What impact did the summer heatwave have on views on climate change? and Which wins out between chocolate and cheese? If you are not yet a paid subscriber, you can read all ten by starting a free trial now: Get FREE 7-day trial For more polling news as it comes in ahead of next week’s edition, you can also follow The Week in Polls on Bluesky. Picking up on my doubt last week about whether or not 35% of British train travellers have tried to order a takeaway for delivery to a railway station or carriage, thank you to reader Iain, who has been in touch to say he has done just that… in India. Another quick pair of updates, this time on the controversies around Reform and polling. Politico has a further scoop - “Farage aide caught in donor sting attended Egypt retreat with JL Partners” - and Ian Dunt has written about the problems with polling too: “Seeing the response of many polling experts in the last few weeks suggests that they are nervous about what is happening and keen to mitigate against it. Seeing the response of journalists, which has been basically non-existent, suggests the precise opposite.” My usual reminder as well: please do hit reply if you’ve spotted a poll, focus group or new piece of poll-based research that you think should be in contention for coverage in a future edition. Thank you! And with that, on with the show. How politicians get public opinion wrong I have written before about the benefits that come from widespread availability of high-quality political polling. We need more polls and more good coverage of polls. However, what I’ve not dug into before is the research into how accurately politicians estimate public opinion on issues. Thankfully we have academic research to tell us. First, the bad news: We present results from a study of 866 politicians in four countries.1 Politicians were asked to estimate the percentage of public support for various policy proposals. Comparing more than 10,000 estimations with actual levels of public support, we conclude that politicians are quite inaccurate estimators of people’s preferences. They make large errors and even regularly misperceive what a majority of the voters wants. Politicians are hardly better at estimating public preferences than ordinary citizens. Walgrave, S., Jansen, A., Sevenans, J., Soontjens, K., Pilet, J.B., Brack, N., Varone, F., Helfer, L., Vliegenthart, R., van der Meer, T., Breunig, C., Bailer, S., Sheffer, L. & Loewen, P.J. (2023a), “Inaccurate Politicians: Elected Representatives’ Estimations of Public Opinion in Four Countries”, The Journal of Politics, 85(1): 209-222. The bad news is not quite as bad as that makes it sound because, when asked whether the majority of public opinion was for or against various policies, politicians picked the wrong option ‘only’ 29% of the time. However, this included getting it wrong even when public opinion is far from evenly split on an issue: They do not only get it wrong when the public is divided and hard to read (e.g., when there is a 51%:49% distribution). Seventy percent of the misplacements occur for policies with a relatively clear distribution of at least 60% (dis)agreeing citizens. Moreover, the public scored only slightly worse than politicians, picking the wrong option 2.7 out of 8 times on average, compared with 2.3 times for politicians. Turning to the other measure of accuracy (not which side is in the lead but what the percentage support is for each side), politicians on average were 18 percentage points out in their guesses. Again, this was only slightly better than the public, whose error came in at 21 percentage points.2 Further research, using the same mix of countries, gives a little more comfort about how (in)accurate perceptions are: We show that politicians have a better understanding of public opinion when they think the issue matters to voters. Further, when an issue is personally important to politicians they more accurately estimate their party supporters’ opinions. The results confirm that politicians hold more accurate perceptions of voters’ preferences when they think it is important to do so but not necessarily when the issues actually are important to voters. Butler, C., Walgrave, S., Soontjens, K. & Loewen, P.J. (2024), “Politicians are better at estimating public opinion when they think it is more salient”, Party Politics: 1–13. Even so, it’s not a good picture. The remedy for this? Politicians should spend more time reading the polls. So forward this newsletter to someone you know… Share For a more general argument against banning polls, see my 2024 piece. Is “Let Bartlet Be Bartlet” good advice or not? The latest episode of my Political Fictions podcast heads across the Atlantic for a dip into one of the political TV classics: Mark and Cory talk about a giant of American political drama for the first time this week, as they tackle The West Wing. They talk about Let Bartlet Be Bartlet, the nineteenth episode of series one. In it, Mark wonders if The West Wing is actually the epitome of the “Boris Johnson school of politics”, Cory outmanoeuvres Mark into confirming we will record a Christmas Special about Love, Actually and they debate whether the central message of this episode has been misunderstood. Cory’s email newsletter is Paperback Rioter and Mark has a family of email newsletters. Subscribe to our newsletter for some additional bonus content and to get alerted whenever a new episode comes out. Our theme tune is “Monkeys Spinning Monkeys” by Kevin MacLeod/incompetech.com and licensed under the Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License. You can also listen to our episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the web or YouTube. Elsewhere from me… [ A Lord's Eye View How to fix the problem of money in our politics Welcome to my latest update on work in the House of Lords. This time I am taking a look at how our political system is regulated, and the protections we need to keep democracy safe from becoming simply a contest to see who has the biggest bank account… Read more 5 days ago · 3 likes · 2 comments · Mark Pack ](https://lordseyeview.substack.com/p/how-to-fix-the-problem-of-money-in?utm_source=substack&utm_campaign=post_embed&utm_medium=web&embedding_publication_id=1269283) If you spot a factual error… Borrowing an idea from Stuart Ritchie and others, if you spot a factual error in an edition of this newsletter, I will give you a free 12-month subscription to the paid-for version (or an extra 12 months on your existing one). Factual errors qualify, but grammatical errors or disagreements over interpretation do not, and my decision is final. Messages about both of those are always welcome, though. Voting intention and leadership ratings Here are the latest voting intention polls from different pollsters. It is all pretty static at the moment, with a small and consistent Labour lead in nearly all the polls. The table is also online here, along with explanations about what is included. It is updated regularly throughout the week as new polls are released. Next are the seat projections from MRPs, also sorted by fieldwork dates, listing those which are based on dedicated fieldwork (rather than models based on averages of other polls). Because such MRPs are published infrequently, some of the entries below are quite old. Finally, here is a summary of leadership ratings, with a graph from PollCheck: Detailed numbers from the latest polls are online here, and both that and the graph are updated regularly throughout the week as new data comes out. For historical figures on both voting intention and leader approval stretching back to the 1930s, including Parliamentary by-election polls, see PollBase. Catch up on the previous two editions [ ](https://theweekinpolls.substack.com/p/a-crisis-point-for-political-polling) [ A crisis point for political polling Sep 13 ](https://theweekinpolls.substack.com/p/a-crisis-point-for-political-polling) [ Read full story ](https://theweekinpolls.substack.com/p/a-crisis-point-for-political-polling) [ ](https://theweekinpolls.substack.com/p/extra-questions-about-the-polls-in) [ Extra questions about the polls in Reform’s funding scandal Sep 6 ](https://theweekinpolls.substack.com/p/extra-questions-about-the-polls-in) [ Read full story ](https://theweekinpolls.substack.com/p/extra-questions-about-the-polls-in) My privacy policy and other legal information are available here. Links to purchase books or other items are usually affiliate links which pay a commission for each sale. Quotes from social media messages are occasionally lightly edited for punctuation and clarity. If you are subscribed to other email lists of mine, please note that unsubscribing from this one will not automatically remove you from the others. If you wish to be removed from all my lists, simply reply to this email to let me know. A quintet of Lib Dem polling analyses, and 9 other polling insights you shouldn’t miss The following ten findings from the most recent polls and analyses are only for subscribers who pay for the full edition, but you can sign up for a free trial to read them straight away. Ahead of the start of Liberal Democrat conference, we have a trio of organisations and a pair of professors with pieces out about Ed Davey’s party:
Farage says he wants to ‘hijack’ Trump’s ICE czar to help secure UK border
Reform leader also tells US event Europe should have ‘more sensible view’ of president’s administration
Lib Dems will be a firewall against Nigel Farage, Davey says
Lib Dem leader Ed Davey claimed the party was aiming to beat its 2024 record of 72 MPs in any snap election.
Nigel Farage says £72m donation are compliant 'with the law today'
Ministers are seeking to put a £100,000 annual cap on donations from British expats, backdated to 25 March 2026.
Crypto billionaires donate millions to Reform UK, raising concerns about money in politics
Reform UK, the anti-immigration party led by Nigel Farage, received £72 million (around €83.9 million) from two cryptocurrency billionaires this weekend, prompting concerns about money’s influence in British politics. Ben Delo, co-founder of the BitMEX platform, donated £36 million, and crypto investor Christopher Harborne matched that amount. Harborne supports Reform UK’s policies, believing they will […]
Crypto billionaires give $97 million to Reform UK, fueling concerns about money in politics
LONDON (AP) — Reform UK, the anti-immigration party led by Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, received 72 million pounds ($97 million) from two cryptocurrency bill
Crypto billionaires give $97 million to Reform UK, fueling concerns about money in politics
LONDON (AP) — Reform UK, the anti-immigration party led by Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, received 72 million pounds ($97 million) from two cryptocurrency billionaires this weekend, fueling concerns about money in British politics.
Crypto billionaires give $97 million to Reform UK, fueling concerns about money in politics
Reform UK, the anti-immigration party led by Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, received $97 million from two cryptocurrency billionaires this weekend.
Crypto billionaires make record donations to UK political party
Reform UK, the anti-immigration party led by Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, received $97 million from two cryptocurrency billionaires this weekend.
Crypto billionaires give $97 million to Reform UK, fueling concerns about money in politics
LONDON (AP) — Reform UK, the anti-immigration party led by Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, received 72 million pounds ($97 million) from two cryptocurrency billionaires this weekend, fueling concerns about money in British politics.
Crypto billionaires give $97 million to Reform UK, fueling concerns about money in politics
LONDON (AP) — Reform UK, the anti-immigration party led by Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, received 72 million pounds ($97 million) from two cryptocurrency billionaires this weekend, fueling …
Crypto Billionaires Give $97 Million to Reform UK, Fueling Concerns About Money in Politics
LONDON (AP) — Reform UK, the anti-immigration party led by Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, received 72 million pounds ($97 million) from two cryptocurrency billionaires this weekend, fueling concerns about money in British politics. After news broke that Ben Delo, a co-founder of the BitMEX ...
What Farage’s oyster etiquette says about his politics
When it comes to fish, Reform is across the mores
Rise of the far right: can Farage get a boost from AfD’s win in Germany?
Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey discuss the rise of the far-right in Germany and how it might affect the UK
Farage still Reform’s best hope as rivals struggle to match appeal to party faithful
Despite series of scandals, members remain loyal to their leader as questions over his successor grow
Bardella-Farage immigration deal faces backlash across French political spectrum
The agreement was blasted as a capitulation to British interests by much of the political class in France.
Labour says Farage must answer for foreign donations scandal
Britain’s Labour Party said Nigel Farage should take responsibility for fresh allegations about illicit funding that enveloped his Reform UK party as members gathered for its annual conference last week.
Long-term allies and verifiable reality must make way for Saving Private Nige
Has Farage’s brain been hacked? Has he started talking in his sleep? There’s no shortage of explanations for this scandal
Nigel Farage to be quizzed as he battles to contain growing donations scandal
The Reform UK leader is under pressure after senior aides appeared to plot how to bypass electoral laws on foreign donations
Nigel Farage tells BBC he 'wasn't listening' in foreign donor talks
The Reform leader also told the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg that his family are "begging" him to leave his job.
Reform UK winded by donations row as insiders call for shift in approach
Nigel Farage's admirers in the party are calling for a stronger operation as the party aims for power.
Farage and Jenrick to speak on final day of Reform conference marred by scandal and protests
Farage, who had earlier suspended two close aides, had his keynote speech interrupted multiple times by protesters on Friday
Nigel Farage unveils small boats deal with Jordan Bardella at Reform conference
Reform says it would use the Navy to intercept boats and return migrants to France, if the party wins power.
New revelations about Reform UK and funding
Nigel Farage again denies party have broken the law after undercover filming shows man posing as ‘impermissible donor’ paying for polling that helped Reform
Labour asks Met police to launch criminal inquiry into Reform UK donations after undercover report
Two key aides to Nigel Farage have stepped down pending an internal investigation
Farage aides step down after undercover report on Reform UK donations
James Orr and Dan Jukes have stepped down from positions pending outcome of party investigation, says Reform UK
Three crucial questions facing Farage at Reform conference
Can the Reform UK leader put his policies into action, and become prime minister?
Farage senior aide filmed suggesting way to avoid donations law
A film broadcast by Channel 4 shows senior Reform UK figures discussing donations with an undercover reporter.
Farage compares standards inquiry to investigations faced by fellow ‘outsider’ Trump
Reform UK leader dismisses criticism of his failure to register £5m gift as a sign of a ‘complainants’ society’
Reform up against 'complainants' society', Nigel Farage tells BBC
The Reform UK leader said a "whole ecosystem" didn't want "new kids on the block succeeding".
Scotland's papers: Health boards facing cuts and FM rules out Farage deal
A review of the front page stories from the daily newspapers in Scotland.
Arms and the £5m man: Farage megadonor Christopher Harborne’s military empire
Reform UK denies donor and crypto-billionaire’s global interests in arms and military could present a conflict of interest over its defence spending policy
Giorgia on their minds: Farage and Badenoch scrap to be mates with Meloni
Tories accuse Reform of ‘peddling conspiracy theories’ as row erupts in wake of Conservative leader’s trip to Rome
Badenoch says Reform defectors ‘some of the most dishonest people I have met’
Tory leader rules out coalition with Farage’s party and says ‘drama queens’ who left will not be welcomed back
Is this a good day or a bad day for Nigel Farage?
As expected, the Reform UK leader easily won the Clacton by-election but was nowhere to be seen after the result.
Nigel Farage faces renewed watchdog probe after Clacton by-election victory
The investigation into a £5m gift received by Farage reopens, as he returns as the MP for Clacton.
Nigel Farage beats Count Binface to win back seat in Parliament in widely mocked election
Farage, leader of the anti-immigration Reform UK party who some see as a possible next prime minister, abruptly quit his seat in July amid an investigation into whether he failed to report a 5 million pound ($6.7 million) gift from a crypto billionaire overseas.
Nigel Farage says he won’t attend count in Clacton byelection against Count Binface
The Reform UK leader will not be present at vote count in byelection he has tried to frame as the ‘people versus the establishment’
Nigel Farage set for decisive but arguably empty victory in Clacton
Leader of Reform UK on course to defeat Count Binface and an assortment of fringe candidates as polls close in Essex
Nigel Farage faces off against Count Binface in special election that's been denounced as a stunt
Nigel Farage, leader of the anti-immigration party Reform UK, had hoped a special election Thursday for his Parliament seat would help quell awkward questions about his finances.
Count Binface, the man in a can with a plan, seeks Parliament seat in Britain’s wackiest election
Binface, a self-described intergalactic space warrior, has landed in the center of the U.K.’s political universe ahead of a special election against Trump ally Nigel Farage, among others.
Labour says Farage has ‘no serious answers’ to prisons crisis
Reform says it will free up space in jails in England and Wales by rapidly deporting all foreign offenders
US Stand Up for Science movement expands to Europe
A grassroots movement by scientists in the US pushing back against threats to academic freedom is setting up a Swiss outpost to take the movement global. Stand Up for Science started in February 2025 to protest against politically-motivated grant cancellations by the Trump administration. Since then, it has organised numerous rallies by scientists and turned into a broader campaigning organisation, supporting “pro-science” political candidates and attempting to impeach Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the health and human services secretary the group accuses of advancing “quack” science. Now, Stand Up for Science is establishing a Swiss office to take some of its campaigning beyond the US, and its leader is urging European academics to organise similar pro-science groups in case they face similar threats in Europe. There will likely be “spillover” to Europe from what the Trump administration is attempting in the US, said Colette Delawalla, chief executive of Stand Up for Science, who last month returned from a tour of Europe. “Are we going to see a Trump-style scientific [. . .] take over in the same way?” she asked.Delawalla, who is doing a PhD in clinical psychology, said she was driven to help found the organisation after the Trump administration started cancelling health research grants in politically taboo topics, such as transgender people, diversity and HIV, in early 2025. Since then, the administration has introduced several other measures that infringe academic and institutional autonomy.It threatened to cut Harvard University’s federal funding unless the university accepted a “critical mass” of new faculty and students to create “viewpoint diversity.” And this year, it proposed explosive new rules that would allow political appointees at research funders to screen grants to make sure they “advance the president's policy priorities.”US scientists have been at times stunned by the volume of announcements, and the country’s researchers were relatively unprepared. “We sit in front of the fire hose every day,” said Delawalla. For this reason, European scientists need to prepare now for similar assaults. “If you've got a little bit of extra time to start thinking through, and making those preparations and building community and solidarity,” then European researchers will “start five steps ahead of where we were.” She plans to return to Paris in September to share experiences with concerned French academics. Is Le Pen the same?During her European tour, Delawalla said that French academics were beginning to worry about a National Rally (RN) victory in presidential elections next year. She said there were “chilling similarities” between Trump and Marine Le Pen, the RN’s likely candidate. However, so far, the RN hasn’t proposed anything nearly as radical as the Trump administration has carried out. Its current manifesto is all but silent on university and research policy. Le Pen’s 2022 manifesto bemoaned a lack of French R&D spending, including in fundamental research, and promised to modernise labs and strip away grant bureaucracy. The party’s 2024 European election manifesto explicitly supported the Erasmus+ student exchange programme, scientific exchange and joint European technology projects. However, a Le Pen victory next year could see France drastically cut its contribution to the EU, which would hit the budget for science and innovation. Meanwhile, more restrictive immigration policies could hit university recruitment of faculty and students. Climate science denial?As heatwaves and wildfires have ravaged France, the RN has sought to distance itself from previous comments casting doubt on climate science.In the UK, the radical-right party Reform UK, now second in the polls, denied climate research in a draft of its 2024 election manifesto, but its leader, Nigel Farage, then appeared to quietly U-turn and said he was “not arguing the science.” By contrast, Trump has repeatedly and explicitly denied climate change science, in 2025 calling it “the greatest con job.” Like the RN, Reform UK has been light on research and university policy. However, it did say in its 2024 manifesto that universities should suffer “heavy financial penalties” for allowing “political bias or cancel culture” on campus, building on laws brought in by a previous Conservative government. Ahead of September state elections in Saxony-Anhalt in Germany, the poll-leading Alternative for Germany has proposed abolishing gender studies and postcolonial studies, and promised money for “critical” climate research and studies of Islam. Starts with rhetoricEven if European radical right parties aren’t currently planning the draconian policy measures of the Trump administration, Delawalla said that academics should not be complacent, and fight even small funding restrictions or anti-science talk from the start. “It starts off with sowing distrust about institutions,” she said. “It starts off with these small things, and then all of a sudden it's there.” There are other, more established science and university advocacy groups in the US aside from Stand Up for Science. But the group stands out because of Delawalla’s refusal to attempt to appear politically bipartisan or conciliatory. “I firmly believe that the US is experiencing fascism,” she said. “We’re not trying to win over the super Maga people,” she said, “and we never have been.” The lesson of the US is that even if universities or other institutions capitulate to government demands, this doesn’t save them from cuts and restrictions. “It doesn’t matter what people do,” she said. Global “pseudoscience”Another aim of Stand Up for Science’s push into Europe is to better coordinate a campaign to protect people in poorer countries from what the group describes as “pseudoscientific exploitation,” trials outside the US used to build a case against things like vaccines. Earlier this year, the group sent an investigator to Guinea-Bissau to investigate a controversial, Danish-run Hepatitis B vaccine project funded by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The study would have withheld a proven vaccine from newborns, Stand Up for Science argued in a briefing it presented to Congress, risking their health. Significantly, the research group based in Guinea-Bissau, known as Bandim, focuses on the “non-specific effects” of vaccines: impacts on health beyond preventing the target disease. Related articlesEuropean researchers sound the alarm that Trump rule changes will hit cooperationData corner: which fields of health science is the US curbing? The US ‘golden age’ science strategy: what Europeans need to know The suspicion is that the study was funded as part of an attempt to shop around for results that could help build a case against vaccines in the US, said Delawalla. “This is just code for vaccines cause autism,” she said.Bandim has put out a rebuttal of Stand Up for Science’s criticisms, arguing its work has uncovered a number of vaccine side effects, both positive and negative, which need to be taken into account in public health. However, Congressional Democrats took up the Stand Up for Science cause, and in February, Guinea-Bissau said it had permanently halted the study. WatchdogBut for Delawalla, this is not the end of the fight. Kennedy has made a number of health claims that scientists think lack evidence, such as the idea that seed oils cause inflammation, for example. Delawalla worries that more studies could be launched in poorer countries to fish around for evidence to support this agenda. Stand Up for Science is talking to African science organisations to create a kind of “watchdog” to scrutinise any further trials. “Outsourcing the investigation to some of the most vulnerable children in the world who are desperate [. . .] is fundamentally wrong,” she said.
Nigel Farage says he discussed politics return ahead of general election
Farage said the talks came "quite some time after" he received a £5m gift from a Reform donor.
Farage admits he discussed returning as Reform leader months earlier than previously stated
Admission may undermine Farage’s account of circumstances surrounding £5m gift from crypto billionaire
Will Rupert Lowe and Nigel Farage unite the right in British politics?
Restore Britain leader has made a surprise offer of cooperation with Reform but some say it’s a trap
Rupert Lowe urges Nigel Farage to work with Restore Britain
Lowe says the two should put ‘personalities and our past disagreements aside for good of the country’
‘Stench of sleaze’: Farage struck deal over political return months before 2024 election, reports say
Labour chair accuses Reform of making ‘grubby pacts’ after contradictory reports emerge on timeline of events
The tangled financial web at the heart of Reform UK
Nigel Farage’s £5m gift, the Cottrell family’s links and donations, and Richard Tice’s business dealings form part of an increasingly clear nexus of relationships
I’ve seen what can confound Farage on his home turf: optimism. People need a politics that offers them that
You can’t blame his constituents in Clacton for their pessimism – because they have been let down for years, says Guardian columnist Owen Jones
Zack Polanski will not say sorry to Farage for sharing ‘dangerous’ image
Green party leader says it was ‘a mistake’ and if Farage wants to apologise for times he’s put people in danger he’ll be happy to say sorry
Police make inquiries after Farage reports Polanski post for ‘inciting murder’
Green party leader shared picture of man wearing T-shirt with words ‘we’re only making plans for Nigel’ alongside a guillotine
What England's local councils tell us about fragmenting politics
Even the most ardent advocate for local democracy would concede that council chambers are not always the most exciting places. Subscribe Whether it’s planning meetings, motions or resolutions, you’d be forgiven for switching off. Unless it’s lockdown and we’re talking about standing orders, of course. Remember Jackie Weaver, who infamously “had no authority here” at a chaotic parish council Zoom call in 2021? Yet, as a general rule since then, council meetings rarely make the headlines beyond local papers and news websites. Reform’s success After Reform’s stunning success at the local elections in May though, the leader of the party’s group on Kirklees Council suddenly found she’d gone viral online for admitting that she didn’t actually understand council procedures. “I don’t understand the constitution”, Councillor Sarah Wood, pictured above, told the council chamber. “I have not had sufficient time to read that as yet. I don’t understand what standing orders are, what they’re made up of, nor do I understand what an amendment is.” Share Channel 4 News Councillor Wood later defended her comments to the BBC, and said that “new councillors and not just us, are coming from jobs”. She claimed that the sharing of the clip mocking her online was an example of “Reform-bashing”. She added: “Yes, we need to know procedures. Yes we need to do the homework. And we have addressed that now and we have put that right.” So, with standing orders getting another moment in the spotlight, not to mention the fracturing and fragmentation from May’s results, we set out to find out how new councillors are doing across England in this new political landscape. New political landscape Where better to start then than Kirklees, in West Yorkshire. Reform is the largest party, the council is under no overall control and has chosen a new leader - Sarah Wood - after two failed attempts to elect one. It is difficult to secure interviews with new Reform councillors, but John Hardie, pictured below, told us it’s been a “whirlwind” since being elected in May. He represents the Dalton ward and told us the party’s lack of political experience hasn’t been a hindrance. “We’ve come with lots of experience, lots of business experience and life experience, and it’s been good, actually, too. And to mix with other councillors who have been in the political world, and we can learn from each other.” Indeed, more parties are now having a say than ever before. In Manchester, the Green Party followed up their victory in the parliamentary by-election in Gorton and Denton by gaining 17 seats on the city council. That makes them the official opposition to Labour, who have long dominated Manchester City Council. [ ](https://channel4news.substack.com/p/how-landmark-green-by-election-win) [ How landmark Green by-election win could change British politics ](https://channel4news.substack.com/p/how-landmark-green-by-election-win) Krishnan Guru-Murthy · Feb 27 [ Read full story ](https://channel4news.substack.com/p/how-landmark-green-by-election-win) Thirza Amina Asanga-Rae, pictured below, is one of those new councillors, representing Moss Side. We asked her how being the official opposition can make a difference. She said: “I think even the fact that we’ve made history in what we’ve done, it’s been a 50-year stronghold of Labour in Manchester, and now that we’ve broken that and chipped in that, there’s real hope that we can not only run the council in the future, but currently hold them to account. So, I think that’s powerful. It’s just going to help shape and build what I call the green wave.” The reality, though, is that several newly elected councillors across the country have already left their roles through resignations, suspensions or defections. ‘It’s a slog’ Asanga-Rae adds: “It’s a job, it’s a slog. Obviously, we’re going through hard times. Austerity is real. We’re talking about food, child poverty, furniture poverty. The list is endless, and I think people who come into a councillor role need to be willing to help, really roll the sleeves up and get involved and help, and I think a lot of the career politicians, who think it’s the ‘la-di-da’ position, get in and realise I’m not going to do this work and bounce.” Share Although Manchester still has a clear majority, many councils, including Kirklees, are now under no overall control. That is perhaps the strongest sign of the political fragmentation we are seeing. Burnley is another example of this. Reform is now the largest party, yet they’re not part of the power-sharing coalition on this council - the Liberal Democrats and a local group of independents. Zulkernehn Hayat, pictured below, is part of The Independent Group. He represents Queensgate ward and told us all councils can benefit from having more independent councillors. ‘This is where I was brought up’ He said: “This is my home. This is Burnley. This is where I was brought up. Why do I need to get approval from somebody in a head office down south somewhere, you know? “This is my biggest argument. If okay, my neighbour comes to me with an issue, I can then take that straight to the council, because I don’t need to get approval from anywhere else. And this is the benefit of being independent.” So, while voters will always inevitably want quick results, perhaps spare a thought for the newly-elected councillors who are still navigating local government - one standing order at a time. 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Andy Burnham and the rise of ‘aura farming’ in politics
Is “aura farming” the new political superpower? There are some days in TV news when you find yourself standing in the middle of a farm, surrounded by baby goats, trying to explain internet slang. Subscribe This was one of those days. There I was, in wellies, trying to unpack aura farming - a Gen Z term for carefully cultivating your image online so that you look effortlessly cool, authentic and charismatic. The trick, apparently, is that it can’t look like you’re trying too hard. Which, I’ll admit, felt slightly ironic as we filmed an entire report on a farm purely because the word farming is in the title. ‘Shaped by algorithms’ Whether you like it or not, politics increasingly feels like it’s being shaped by algorithms as much as manifestos. Take Andy Burnham. Since arriving at Number 10, he’s been impossible to miss online. One minute he’s out for a casual jog with Mo Farah. Next he’s announcing policy alongside TikTok high priestess Bus Aunty. His social media paints a very deliberate picture: less polished Westminster operator, more bloke from the North who just happens to be running the country. It’s not accidental. Burnham’s “King of the North”, New Order-loving persona has become part of a carefully constructed political brand. Authenticity is now something politicians work incredibly hard to make look effortless. But Burnham isn’t inventing this playbook. Like so many of us doomscrolling on an evening, he’s been influenced online. The digital strategy of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, pictured above right, has become a case study in viral political communication, and some of the people behind that campaign have recently been advising the Labour Party in Britain. Their message is simple: if you want to reach younger voters, you need to show up where they already spend their time. Embracing content creators And increasingly, that doesn’t mean traditional news interviews (awkward). It means speaking to content creators like Max from The Career Ladder, whose channels reach around 20 million followers worldwide. His interview with Burnham, pictured below, was posted almost immediately after he became Prime Minister. What struck me wasn’t just the audience size, but something Max told me afterwards: many people in the comments said they’d discovered Britain had a new Prime Minister through his interview. Think about that for a moment. Not through rolling news. Not through newspapers. Through a creator they were already following while scrolling. Share That’s a profound shift in how political information reaches people, one that’s been gathering momentum for some time. It also explains why politicians are embracing content creators and spending millions on digital marketing. Of course, this isn’t unique to one party. ‘Personality before policy’ In many ways, the right were quicker off the mark in building their aura online. Donald Trump built much of his political identity on social media. Nigel Farage remains one of Britain’s strongest political performers on TikTok. Politicians across the spectrum now understand that personality often reaches people before policy does. During a six-week UK general election campaign alone, overall digital ad spending routinely tops £11m. Share Channel 4 News Former Number 10 social media adviser Andrew Wong put it well when he told me that “vibes” can help someone get noticed, but they only work if they’re rooted in a genuine personality. Force it, and audiences spot it instantly. The bigger question is whether internet charisma can backfire on you - especially when you’re Prime Minister. Because behind Burnham’s carefully curated videos is a veteran politician with decades of Westminster experience. The spontaneity is produced. While the authenticity may be genuine, it’s managed. That’s not necessarily a criticism. It’s simply the reality of modern political communication. Aura farming alone is not enough to harvest change. But in the age of algorithms, winning attention may be the first battle. Subscribe Share Channel 4 News Leave a comment
Farage, Reform in ‘trouble’, as UK braces for crypto influence in politics
Farage's crisis after revelations of substantial crypto donations prompts broader political questions over donor clout.
UK's Reform Calls for 'Full Security' for Lawmakers After Politician's Murder
LONDON, July 15 (Reuters) - Britain's populist Reform UK called on Wednesday for all lawmakers to be given "full security" if they want it after the murder of Ann Widdecombe, a prominent member of the party led by veteran Brexit campaigner, Nigel Farage. At a news conference, Zia Yusuf,
Government failing Farage over security, says Jenrick
It comes as the police investigation into Ann Widdecombe's death sparks renewed debate over politicians' security.
Nigel Farage turned down taxpayer-funded security including bodyguard, car and driver last year
The head of Reform UK refused the security, which was a similar level to that received by the leader of the opposition, because he considered it inadequate
Mahmood offers Farage security meeting after Ann Widdecombe’s death
Home secretary insists all MPs treated equally but that security of former MPs and non-Westminster politicians is a concern
Police: speculation during Widdecombe murder investigation is ‘unhelpful and distressing’
Politicians should not comment before facts are established, says former chief constable, after Farage describes killing as ‘premeditated murder’
Nigel Farage is just one strand in the tangle of rightwing politicians and crypto investors
These financiers want to remodel the UK into a form that suits them – one that could threaten to erode the barriers between crime and business, says Guardian columnist John Harris
Nigel Farage Wanted a Political Showdown. Now He’s Fighting a Trash Can.
Novelty candidates have long been a feature of British politics, but it’s rare for one to be the main competition.
‘He goes a bit funny if you use his real name’: the unstoppable rise of Count Binface
Nigel Farage foresaw a summer stroll to glory when he forced a byelection – but now risks his career being trashed
How do political donations work… and why are there growing calls for a cap?
Mega-donors are coming under scrutiny after a crypto billionaire based in Thailand gave a £5m gift to Nigel Farage
Police probe donations to Britain’s far-right Reform party
Reform UK's finances draw police scrutiny as Farage fights to reclaim his seat in a by-election.
Marine Le Pen and Nigel Farage: will populists win anti-establishment gamble?
‘Parallels’ between the two leaders are ‘impossible to ignore’ as they take their message to the voters
UK populist leader's election gamble backfires as his only opponent is a trash can
A gamble by UK populist leader Nigel Farage to resign as MP and trigger a snap special election has resulted in a race where his only opponent is a trash can.
What to know about Nigel Farage's dramatic resignation and political gambit in the UK
Facing awkward questions about his finances, the anti-immigration politician dramatically announced that he’s quitting Parliament in order to run again, a move critics denounced as a ploy to dodge a parliamentary probe.
Clacton byelection likely to be two-man race between Reform leader and Binface
Nigel Farage’s resignation as MP means comedian might have to consider representing constituency if he wins
What to know about Nigel Farage's dramatic resignation and political gambit
LONDON (AP) — Nigel Farage says the political establishment is out to stop him. But the Reform UK leader’s attempt to prove it has not gone to plan.
What to know about Nigel Farage's dramatic resignation and political gambit
Nigel Farage claims the political establishment is out to stop him.
What to know about Nigel Farage's dramatic resignation and political gambit
Nigel Farage claims the political establishment is out to stop him
Labour calls on Farage to ‘come clean’ over £5m gift and work with crime agency over money laundering concerns
Lib Dems tell Reform UK leader ‘the game is up’ as political rivals vow to boycott ‘stunt’ Clacton byelection
Nigel Farage's political rivals rule out standing in Clacton by-election
The Reform UK leader says he wants an "establishment versus the people by-election" but Labour calls it a "circus".
George Cottrell: the crypto criminal behind Farage controversy
Reform UK leader did not declare security, staff and accommodation support from convicted fraudster
‘Serious consequences’: Farage attacks Sky News after question about George Cottrell
Reform UK leader confronts journalist after question about gifts from friend and convicted fraudster
Labour asks Electoral Commission to investigate claims Farage broke electoral law by not disclosing gifts
Parliamentary authorities are already looking into a £5m donation to the Reform Uk leader from the crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne
Ministers to crack down on political donations as Farage faces calls for second inquiry
Measures to be announced to make funding more transparent amid new revelations about Reform UK leader
Nigel Farage’s anti-WHO campaign moves to US with allies added to board
Relocation of Action on World Health raises questions over why Reform UK leader is involved in a US pressure group
Nigel Farage’s anti-WHO campaign moves to US with allies added to board
Relocation of Action on World Health raises questions over why Reform UK leader is involved in a US pressure group
Farage says £5m gift spending details 'not public's business'
Rival parties have raised concerns over the gift received by the Reform UK leader before he became an MP.
Nigel Farage vows to ban foreign nationals from social housing
The Reform UK leader says tenants would have three months to find a new home or face potential deportation.
Farage suddenly returns to political stage – but dodges questions about £5m gift
Reform UK leader has been unusually quiet in recent weeks – at great cost to the party during a crucial byelection
Reform deputy says ‘not aware’ of more financial gifts but unable to check all members
Richard Tice grilled at first party press conference since £5m gift to Nigel Farage from crypto billionaire revealed
Nigel Farage to headline Liz Truss’s UK CPAC conference after apparent snub
Reform had previously suggested Farage would be ‘steering clear’ of event, modelled on US conservative gathering
Can Nigel Farage’s Right-Wing Party Win It All in Britain?
Nigel Farage’s anti-immigrant, populist agenda has helped his Reform U.K. Party emerge from the fringe of British politics. But it faces an uphill climb to win power.
Reform MP refuses to say whether Farage should produce evidence for Russian hack claim
Danny Kruger says matter is ‘private’, after party leader claimed hack was behind Guardian story about £5m gift
Farage under mounting pressure to prove Russian hack claim
Reform UK leader claims ‘counter-espionage experts’ suggest state-sponsored hackers are behind the disclosure of £5m gift
Rachel Reeves tells foul-mouthed Reform UK heckler good manners matter
Chancellor wins support from Conservative Mel Stride, while Farage says he’d ‘like to buy man a pint’