Reform won five seats at the last election and are building support every day. With council elections up for grab next year, Nigel Farage has already confirmed his party will be looking to take as many seats as they can. We need to start the fight-back against disinformation, division and discon...
The Rise of the Right
From the far right gangs led by Tommy Robinson, to the hard right politicians coming together under Nigel Farage’s Reform UK (enabled by traditional Conservatives who have let right-wing views run beyond their control), the ‘radical right’ is the coalition of actors that delivered the conditions for Brexit. But they aren’t stopping there. With Trump’s re-election, aided by the support of increasingly extremist ‘tech-bros’ like Elon Musk, the threat to peace and prosperity in Britain hasn’t been so severe in nearly a century.
The combination of poor living standards, misinformation and disinformation from foreign actors - or even our own news outlets - and the failure of politicians to engage with too many sections of society, have created the perfect conditions for the radical right to seize control of the United Kingdom in future, just as they have in parts of Europe and the rest of the world.
We need to work together
Best for Britain can only play a small part in countering the avalanche of extremism we are facing, but every contribution matters. It’s up to millions of people, thousands of other organisations, and the governments of the United Kingdom, to fight the radical right on each of these frontiers.
FAQ
What needs to be done to counter populism and the hard right?
New laws to protect our democracy from foreign interference and misinformation
It cannot be right that actors like Musk can funnel money into elections through limited companies. The last Conservative government made it easier for overseas actors to influence our politics, while claiming to do the opposite. Social media platforms’ decisions to end fact-checking, such as Zuckerberg’s Meta, must be met with restrictions and regulation. The current Labour government must react to this threat with new legislation on donations and misinformation.
Ease the cost-of-living crisis with economic growth
Fix the country’s finances by pulling one of the easiest levers to deliver growth; fix our relationship with Europe
Rachel Reeves has very few levers left to pull to get the economy growing again. Not only does our polling demonstrate that the public want a closer relationship (even in places like Clacton), our economy won’t survive much more stagnation. Read Best for Britain and the UK Trade & Business Commission’s recommendations ahead of the review of our deal with Europe in 2026.
Ensure that economic growth is felt by everyone, especially those on lower incomes
The 2024 US election is a warning shot to the Labour government. Despite the US economy recovering under Joe Biden, too many people didn’t feel the effects of the growth allowing Trump and the Republicans to capitalise on that frustration. A failure to put more money into people’s pockets could hand the 2029 election to Reform UK across England and Wales. It’s vital that barriers to trade with Europe are lifted quickly, allowing that growth to be felt by voters who are struggling, preventing Farage taking advantage of their plight.
Address the scarcity of housing and healthcare
Across the developed economies housing crises are enabling far-right politicians to vilify migrants as the reason why younger people have no housing security and our own media conflates pressures in the NHS with net migration figures. The best counter to these narratives is for governments to solve these problems head on, despite the scale of the task. The Conservative Party of Canada is putting housing at the heart of their strategy to win back younger voters, demonstrating that this issue, if not handled correctly, can depose incumbent progressive parties.
Meet people where they are to counter the spread of misinformation
Too much right-wing political information reaches voters on parts of the internet that progressives fail to understand or engage with. In 2024 Trump, and his message, reached millions of young people (particularly men) on platforms like Twitch, Kick and Rumble, complemented by ‘man-o-sphere’ podcasts and Youtube streams. Despite progress on generating ephemeral content, often through Tiktok, such as Kamala Harris’s campaign launch, the air war is being won by right-wing actors. Progressives must react to the changed media environment with new strategies for reaching younger audiences with the perceived authenticity and sincerity that figures on the right find easier to manufacture.
Change minds - persuade people to reject far right views
The toughest task of all is the most important; people need to be persuaded to reject right-wing opinion. This will take constant and repeated debunking, in the right tone, combined with positive messaging around migration and social cohesion that offers hope for the future. Research can help craft messaging, but innovation is required to make sure the messages reach the right people, in the right way. Best for Britain firmly believes that when we change minds we change politics for the better. And we are committed to working with everyone who shares that belief.
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