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What do we mean when we say far-right? In the words of Cas Mudde, a leading academic on populism and extremism: “Reform UK is far-right. That is not an opinion, that is a fact.”
While “far-right” is a contested term, most academics and experts generally agree that it includes certain key beliefs and themes, such as racist and xenophobic rhetoric, the undermining of democratic process, attacks on human rights and the principle that all human beings are equal, and a populist, conspiratorial belief in a sinister “elite”.
Reform UK fits all of the above.
The terms far-right and fascist are often mistakenly interchangeable, creating an inaccurate expectation that the label “far-right” should only be applied to swastika-waving skinheads and Third Reich apologists.
Despite having attracted its fair share of these sorts of extremists, Reform UK itself is not fascist. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t far-right.
“Far-right” is an umbrella term, and while useful, it is not a monolith, so academics and experts split it into its constituent parts.
The historians David Renton and Neil Davidson essentially divide the right of the political spectrum into conservatives, the non-fascist far-right, and fascism. In these definitions, Reform UK sits comfortably in the “non-fascist far-right” category.
Similarly, Mudde breaks down the term far-right further into the following:
- The radical right which “accepts the essence of democracy, but opposes fundamental elements of liberal democracy”. This describes Nigel Farage and Reform UK, as the party rejects key elements of liberal democracy, most notably the concept that every human being has inherent dignity and universal rights.
- The extreme far-right which “rejects the essence of democracy, that is, popular sovereignty and majority rule”.
The Reluctance to Use the Term
Reform UK is adamant that it is not far-right and is willing to litigate the point, leading to many journalists and media outlets fearing legal repercussions for describing the party accurately.
Former leader Richard Tice claimed that news organisations using the term were “defamatory and libellous”, while many voters of the party genuinely see themselves not as extreme or fringe, but as ordinary, normal exemplars of “the people”.
However, their refusal to self-identify as far-right doesn’t mean that they aren’t.
The failure to accurately describe policies and statements by supposedly “mainstream” commentators and politicians is a key factor in the normalisation of far-right politics.
The term “far-right” still has some power and if accurately deployed it can help slow or maybe even reverse the normalisation and mainstreaming of far-right parties and politicians like Reform UK and Farage.
Farage’s Links to the Far-Right
For decades, Farage has made overtly racist and xenophobic remarks and propagated antisemitic conspiracy theories.
He has spent years collaborating, befriending and showering praise for a wide range of far-right politicians across the world.

While leader of UKIP and as an MEP, Farage worked closely with a range of far-right parties as part of the Europe of Freedom and Democracy group which included Lega Nord, the Danish People’s Party, Finns Party and the Slovak National Party.
In 2014, Farage was widely criticised for joining forces with the Sweden Democrats, a far-right party with Nazi roots. Farage is friendly with and openly admires far-right leaders like Donald Trump, Georgia Meloni, Marie Le Pen and Victor Orban.
Reform UK and its leader Farage fit comfortably within the definition of the far-right.
Key reasons include:
- Undermining democracy: Farage has repeatedly questioned election results in Peterborough (2019), Rochdale (2024) and Oldham (2015), where he said that the electoral process was “dead” due to “ethnic changes in the way people are voting”.
- Attacks on human rights: Farage has called for the UK to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights, rejecting key principles of liberal democracy.
- Racist and xenophobic rhetoric: Farage has a history of racism, xenophobia, and misogyny, with Reform UK’s current focus being on portraying asylum seekers and Muslims as threats to the nation.
- Populism and elite conspiracy: Farage frames himself as a defender of “the people” against a sinister “elite,” fuelling distrust in politicians and institutions.
We must not shy away from calling Reform UK what they are – far-right.
Reform UK has repeatedly used racist and xenophobic rhetoric, attacking human rights and rejecting key principles of liberal democracy.
Farage may posit himself as the defender of the “people” against the elites, but he is the UK highest earning MP – hardly a man of the people.
Not using the correct terminology is a key factor in normalising Reform UK’s harmful and dangerous politics. It’s time to call a spade a spade.
HOPE not hate builds hope and counters the politics of hate through research, campaigning and community engagement. We focus on the organised far right, the communities that are susceptible to them and the issues and policies which give rise to them.