Nigel Farage’s Nationalism Exposed: Champion of ‘Little England’ Courts Global Elites at Nomad Capitalist Event

On 4 August, the High Commission of Malaysia in the UK issued a warning to its citizens living here. In the wake of far-right protests and violence, it urged Malaysians to “stay away from protest areas, remain vigilant and follow the latest updates.” 

One Malaysian national told the country’s leading paper that “her Muslim colleagues, especially those wearing hijabs, felt unsafe using public transportation”.

Less than two months later, the one man who, it was reported, half of voters thought was responsible for the riots, is in Malaysia making a quick buck. 

Nigel Farage is scheduled to speak at the Nomad Capitalist Live event in Kuala Lumpur from September 25-28, an international conference aimed at helping the global rich minimise taxes, obtain multiple citizenships, and move wealth offshore. 

It is a gathering that caters to the very international elites Farage claims to despise and seems to expose a deep contradiction at the heart of his politics.

Farage has long styled himself as the defender of a distinctive brand of English nationalism, appealing to the white working class disillusioned by globalisation and immigration.

His political career, from UKIP to the Brexit Party, has been built on the narrative of restoring Britain’s sovereignty, painting the European Union as a symbol of betrayal by international elites.

Farage’s populist message promised to “take back control” from Brussels bureaucrats, but it also cleverly tapped into a nostalgic vision of ‘Little England,’ invoking an era of secure jobs, warm beer, and a predominantly white, English-speaking society.

He has long attacked the so-called ‘global elites’. He has condemned them for ‘talking down Britain‘, was condemned for anti-Semitism for calling the former home secretary Grant Schapps a ‘globalist’; and that the economic disaster that was Liz Truss’ tenure in No.10 was because of a “globalist attack”.

It is, perhaps, not without irony that another leading Malaysian paper, the Daily Sabah, recently reported on Farage spreading misinformation in the UK during the riots. 

‘The Other’ features heavily in Farage’s political posturing. Immigration has been a focal point in Farage’s rhetoric and his infamous “Breaking Point” poster during the Brexit campaign, which depicted a long line of migrants, showcased his populist tactic of stoking fear and division. He then alighted on ‘Stop the Boats’ as his next phantasmal lodestar. 

Farage’s message has been clear – blame uncontrolled immigration for economic hardship, wage stagnation, and strained public services. Then argue that the political elite are betraying ordinary Brits in favour of foreign powers.

The contradictions, then, between Farage’s nationalist rhetoric and his personal actions – self evident today in Malaysia – are stark.

In promotional videos for Nomad Capitalist, Farage has lamented an alleged “brain drain” in the UK, blaming the then Conservative Government’s rules on non-doms for causing the exodus of wealthy individuals. And he praises the event organisers for offering advice on how to escape UK tax burdens.

At Nomad Capitalist, Farage will share the stage with figures such as Doug Casey, an “anarcho-capitalist” who advocates for reducing state control over the ultra-wealthy, and Saifedean Ammous, an advocate for decentralised finance through cryptocurrencies.

These speakers champion the very global mobility that Farage’s nationalist rhetoric opposes. Of course, the difference is that those migrants on Calais’s shores are poor, whereas the audience in Kuala Lumpur has the agency and wealth to travel without cumbrance.  

This isn’t the first time Farage’s actions have contradicted his rhetoric. His close ties to transnational figures such as Donald Trump and Steve Bannon, and his numerous appearances on American media platforms, have shown his willingness to operate within the global elite circles he publicly denounces.

Events like Nomad Capitalist underscores how flexible his nationalism truly is. While he portrays himself as a champion of the concerns of England’s white working class, Farage’s personal actions align far more with the interests of the ultra-wealthy and global elites.

The Reform leader has faced accusations of hypocrisy. Despite claiming that over £30,000 worth of plane tickets to the US from a friend were “not really gifts,” Farage held up a pair of glasses during his speech at the party’s conference near Birmingham, telling the audience, “They were very expensive, but I bought them myself.”

In contrast, Prime Minister Keir Starmer had accepted several pairs of glasses, valued at £2,485 in total, from Labour peer Lord Waheed Alli ahead of the July General Election.

Last month, Farage insisted he was fully committed to his role as MP for Clacton after making a second trip to the US in quick succession. He claimed to have visited the Essex town “a couple of days a week” since July.

In an interview with the BBC, he stated: “I intend to be successful as an MP for this area. Am I going to take this job seriously? You bet your life I am.”

Abroad again, though, it seems the contradictions of Farage’s politics are coming to the fore. While he publicly rails against globalism and advocates for British sovereignty, Farage is simultaneously courting those who seek to evade the very state structures he claims to defend. 

As Farage continues to court the very elites he claims to despise, the question for his supporters is whether they will continue to tolerate these glaring inconsistencies.