Reform UK’s swift ascent in the polls seems less shocking than it is. It almost feels like a new norm: Farage emerges whenever the Tories neglect the party’s right wing. But this isn’t just another Farage venture. This isn’t an EU Parliament election like the one that led to Theresa May’s downfall. Nor is it a local election. Reform differs from the Brexit Party in the 2019 general election, which mainly contested Labour’s red wall seats and appealed to Labour voters on a single-issue platform. Even in 2015, when Ukip fielded candidates in 625 seats after their 2014 EU election win and garnere…
