Published by The i Paper (23rd March, 2026)
Do you remember when an ebullient Nigel Farage showed off his “shadow cabinet” in a bid to show that his latest political party is not a one-man band? It was barely a month ago, but such is the head-spinning speed of the news agenda that it feels already like ancient history. The Reform UK leader, riding high in the polls, unveiled two Tory rejects and a pair of his loyal poodles to the four posts that he saw as key for his supposed “government-in-waiting”, brandishing them at a slick Westminster event with all the aplomb of a game show host. Yet, for all the turbulence buffeting the world, bizarrely he did not appoint anyone to the foreign affairs or defence jobs.
This was not an aberration. The party’s manifesto at the last election had chapters on agriculture, constitutional reform and fisheries – but did not bother with foreign policy, despite saying we needed better infrastructure to keep the country safe from overseas threats. No mention of China, Iran or Russia – although a Brexit section pledged “independence for Britain’s armed forces” from our European allies.
We can only conclude this is an area where Farage intends to keep performing as a soloist. Yet, the war in Iran exposes how this populist politician is pitifully out of his depth on the international stage, as shown repeatedly in recent times.
Start with Iran, where this shameless egotist who dares compare himself to Sir Winston Churchill for his courage is making screeching U-turns. Initially, he urged the Prime Minister to support the Israeli-US onslaught, despite the unfocused aims and giant risks. “Iran potentially poses a bigger danger than Putin poses to us,” said Farage, urging Britain to “back the Americans in this vital fight”.
He views the 2015 nuclear deal – which Donald Trump ditched in his first term – as “appeasement” since it unfroze funding for the regime in return for the limiting of Iran’s nuclear programme. There is growing evidence, however, that a far-reaching new deal was near agreement before Israel persuaded the US President to launch war. Now the White House, panicking over soaring energy prices, has lifted sanctions on Iran’s oil even as it bombs their land.
Farage – who insisted the “gloves need to come off” with Iran and said we should do everything possible to support the foolish Israeli-US operation – is also panicking. The war, hitting voters in their pockets, is unpopular. His party is losing support. His personal rating has plunged. So this politician – who previously said it was worth the risk of British involvement if it stopped Tehran from getting nuclear weapons – says “let’s not get ourselves involved in another foreign war”. Even his biggest fans might struggle to see such squirming vacillation as a display of Churchillian resolution, despite the Reform leader’s efforts to explain away his shifting stance.
Such are the perils of trying to follow in the footsteps of his idol Trump. Farage is an admirer and cheerleader for this awful President. He argued before the US election that “a Trump win would make the world a safer place” since his pal was “by instinct, a peacemaker”, saying his victory was vital for peace, stability and Nato’s security. How hollow those words now sound. The White House – while turning on traditional friends of the US – has launched military operations in seven countries in barely a year, culminating in the foolish attack on Iran. Now, this is endangering our country’s most crucial alliance as the frustrated President angrily lashes out at Nato nations, calling them “cowards” for refusing to participate in his illegal and naive mission.
The Trump horror show in America gives a glimpse into how Farage would govern and approach the world. So, there is gung-ho support for Israel, regardless of war crimes in Gaza and land-grabbing in the West Bank, along with denial of genocide and opposition to halting arms sales. “There are civilian deaths in Gaza, and it is deeply regrettable and unfortunate, but I’m afraid that’s what happens in all forms of war,” he said as the casualty toll rose in 2024, opposing the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. When Trump said he wanted to annex Gaza and turn it into a Middle Eastern “Riviera”, Farage responded by saying: “I love that notion.”
Farage once said he sees Viktor Orbán, the Hungarian prime minister who boasts about creating “illiberal democracy”, as the future of Europe. Hopefully, the voters in Orbán’s country will consign him to the past next month. This populist pair have both pushed Kremlin propaganda. Farage, despite recent efforts to look tougher against Vladimir Putin, has a disturbing record of being so blinded by hate for the European Union that he echoed Russian claims about the West and an “expansionist” Brussels being to blame for the invasion of Ukraine. In 2014, even as Putin’s troops invaded Crimea, he praised Putin – “as an operator, but not as human being” – when asked to name the world leader he most admired. And between 2010 and 2017, he took cash to appear on Russia Today, Moscow’s state broadcaster. More than that, Nathan Gill, the Welsh politician jailed in September for taking bribes to make pro-Russian statements, was a senior figure in three of Farage’s parties.
Behind everything lies Farage’s leading role in the Brexit debacle. This should be sufficient to damn him for the electorate. Yet, just as Trump bounced back from his attempted overthrow of an election result, so the Reform leader shook off this dark shadow by blaming other people for its epic, costly failure. Britain looks increasingly lonely now – cut adrift from Europe as the US falls under the control of a dangerous demagogue.
Farage poses as a patriot, yet the first duty of any political leader is to protect national interests. Iran shows again he is not fit to be prime minister. But the huge potential economic damage from this deluded war may end up driving more disgruntled voters into his arms. Such are the depressing ironies of populist politics.