Nigel Farage and Reform UK are making this one big Brexit mistake
Northern Ireland has always been a minor sport in British politics. Yet, it holds the key to Brexit and saving the country. To be a Brexiteer means to believe in the constitutional, democratic and economic unit that is the United Kingdom.
The referendum ballot paper referred to the United Kingdom, not Great Britain, leaving the EU. The 2019 general election was won by the Tories promising the country would leave the EU as one United Kingdom. There is no consent from the British people to have left Northern Ireland behind. No genuine Brexiteer could or would tolerate the Irish Sea border.
As long as the Northern Ireland Protocol, its Irish Sea border, and our new treaties with the EU exist, the policies espoused by Reform UK, and so desperately needed to save the UK, cannot be delivered. To leave the ECHR, secure our borders, ditch Net Zero, build our defences, buy British first, deregulate our economy, cut taxes, reclaim our fishing waters ALL require the termination of the Irish Sea border.
Brexit has not been done. Unless it is, Reform’s promised policies are redundant. Those of us who campaigned for Brexit are obliged to fight the Irish Sea border until it is defeated and Brexit delivered. To leave the field of battle with the job not done would be a dereliction of duty and a breach of the trust put in us by the British people.
The bigger the role any one of us played in the Brexit campaign, the bigger our personal obligation to deliver Brexit. There is no individual who played a bigger role than Nigel Farage. For reasons which are not clear, he seems to accept Brexit has been done.
His position on Northern Ireland and the Irish Sea border is unclear. In September 2023 he told the Irish Times that a united Ireland was inevitable. There is nothing inevitable about it. If the Irish Sea border is removed and Brexit done, Northern Ireland and the UK would be saved.
When I joined Reform UK in March last year, I insisted that Richard Tice, who was then leader, acknowledge Brexit remained an open issue and promise that we would fight on for it and the union.
At every rally at which I have spoken, I have mentioned Brexit and the need to rescue Northern Ireland. The applause has always been massive – Reform’s grassroots understand what is at stake.
As deputy leader, I established an alliance with the Traditional Unionist Voice of Northern Ireland, the only genuine voice for Brexit and unionism in that province. The principle behind the alliance was to promote the union of Great Britain and Northern Ireland across the union.
The alliance served the aims to deliver Brexit, cut tethers with the EU and allow Reform to deliver its policy agenda. The alliance was a crucial step for the country.
Since Nigel replaced Richard as leader, our wonderful TUV alliance appears to have been ended. The first sign of this was in the general election. Nigel personally endorsed Ian Paisley and Sammy Wilson, both DUP, even though our allies in the TUV, including its leader, Jim Allister, were standing against them. Thankfully, Jim beat Ian and was returned to Parliament. The country is all the richer for his presence in the Chamber.
Now it seems Reform has positively rejected the alliance. There is no common cause made between its MPs and Jim. He was not invited to the Reform conference. Reform had a terrific opportunity in Parliament to lead on Brexit and the union. In so doing, it would have forced other Brexiteer/Unionist MPs into lockstep behind it.
This would have had the added benefit of increasing Reform’s influence from five to twelve MPs. But there seems to be no appetite for this.
All the while Starmer is taking the UK closer to the EU. What little Brexit we have, will be reversed. Reform’s ideological foundation block is doing what protects and promotes the United Kingdom. If it does not confront Starmer to finish the job of Brexit and save Northern Ireland/the country there will be little point to Reform.
