David Cameron’s promise of an EU referendum in 2013 was designed to head off the apparent challenge to his party’s election hopes that was being posed by Nigel Farage’s Ukip. Although Ukip still did well in the 2015 election, the Conservatives won an overall majority.
Unfortunately for Mr Cameron, he lost the subsequent referendum, and his party was then tossed into years of turmoil over how the decision to leave should be implemented.
Still, in 2019, Boris Johnson’s promise to deliver his ‘oven-ready’ Brexit deal headed off the threat from Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party and paved the way to another overall majority. Brexit was duly delivered and, it seemed, the issue that had given Mr Farage his platform on more than one occasion had finally been put to bed.
Yet Mr Farage has now popped up again. After finally securing election as an MP last year, he and his Reform party has now significantly outpolled the Conservatives in local elections that took place predominantly in what, until now, were Tory heartlands.
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