As the Tory rebellion over the government’s lockdown plan grows, Nigel Farage has entered the fray. The former Ukip leader is to relaunch the Brexit Party as a new force in the coronavirus debate. The outfit will be renamed Reform UK and promises to provide a counter-voice to the two main parties’ support for lockdown as a way of tackling coronavirus. Farage’s party will instead argue for a policy of ‘focused protection’ from coronavirus for the vulnerable.
The news of Farage’s plans has been met with surprise — and even laughter — in some quarters. Several Tory MPs have been quick to dismiss it as Farage needing a hobby on the basis that his ally Donald Trump could be out of the White House soon. However, while the Brexit Party failed to win any seats in the 2019 election, Farage new project ought to be taken seriously.
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