Nigel Farage is outraged! The cause of his latest indignation? A decision by the “PC mad, loony” Bank of England (BoE) to remove historical figures from British banknotes, replacing them with British wildlife. A decision, Farage claims, that is the very “definition of woke”.

i, for one, am delighted that we finally have a definition of “woke”

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— shardcore (@shardcore.org) 12 March 2026 at 09:23

Fisticuffs over a fiver

Farage’s focus thus far has been on the proposed removal of Winston Churchill from the £5 note. Having regularly invoked Churchill in the framing of his own political arguments, he has been known, on occasion, to misrepresent the former prime minister’s views, not least on Europe.

It is unclear whether Farage is equally concerned about the removal of JMW Turner, Jane Austen or Alan Turing, assuming he’s even heard of them. As for Farage’s attitude towards wildlife, his support for fox hunting and badger culling is perhaps all you need to know.

Manufactured outrage

It will come as no surprise that Reform UK Limited has been joined on this particular soapbox by the Tories. Kemi Badenoch described the decision as “deeply depressing that under Labour our national heroes are considered too ‘divisive’ to be on banknotes”, despite the fact that the decision was made by the Bank of England, not the government.

Writing for The Telegraph, former Conservative cabinet minister, Tom Tugendhat described the proposal as telling “a dismal story of national decline”, adding on X that it amounted to “forgetting who we are, what made our country great and who we can become”.

More surprising was to see leader of the LibDems, Ed Davey, also jump on the bandwagon, claiming this was the “worst time to do this”. He obviously hadn’t read the brief explaining that it would be a “few years” before the new notes enter into circulation.

Winston Churchill helped defeat fascism in Europe. He deserves better than being replaced by a badger 🦡 pic.twitter.com/D0ryOQYSTu

— Ed Davey (@EdwardJDavey) March 11, 2026

A relatively modern tradition

With so much fuss being made over his replacement, many would be forgiven for thinking that Churchill had featured on a fiver since the second world war. In fact, non-royals have only featured on British banknotes since 1970, and Churchill only for the past 10 years.

Considering how often we hear cries of ‘patriotism’, or lack thereof, from right-wingers, why did we not hear similar protestations when other historic figures – not least Elgar, of Land of Hope and Glory fame – were removed from our currency. As for Darwin, Shakespeare, Dickens, Nightingale and other famous Britons, I suspect they too would fall under Farage’s inaccurate definition of ‘woke’.

The Bank of England has only put non royals on bank notes since 1970.

Farage and Co. losing their minds over a relatively modern tradition.

— Otto English (@ottoenglish.bsky.social) 11 March 2026 at 23:36

The public choice

What has been completely overlooked by the outrage brigade is the background to the decision, and the involvement of the British public. The BoE’s chief cashier confirmed that banknotes are regularly redesigned “to increase counterfeit resilience”, adding that the new proposals were a way to “celebrate different aspects of the UK”.

As to the involvement of the public, a consultation process asked 44,000 people which themes they would like to see on the next banknotes. The outcome was that 60% chose ‘nature’ as one of their preferred options, with ‘architecture and landmarks’ coming a close second with 56%. Some way behind in third place was ‘historical figures’ with 38%, so you could say that Churchill’s removal was the “will of the people”. A small detail that Farage has chosen to overlook.

My humble submission to the new Bank of England with concepts for the new bank notes to please both sides.

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— Tom Wilson (@feedthedrummer.bsky.social) 11 March 2026 at 14:57

The wrong focus

With the wealthy in our country continuing to get richer at the expense of the less well off, if there’s an argument to be had over banknotes, this isn’t it. Farage’s fabricated outrage only serves to stir up discontent, the only thing he’s any good at. It does nothing to solve the problems of those whose only concern regarding British banknotes is whether they’ll have enough of them to pay their bills.

Farage, with his many sources of income and seemingly unlimited expenses and donations, does not have those worries. Nor, it seems, will he ever understand what it feels like to be in that precarious position. Anyone who thinks otherwise is a few banknotes short of a full wallet.

When I first wrote about the anti-migrant policies of the Home Office in 2022, I had hoped that, come election day, they would be abandoned along with the Tory government. Surely a new Labour government, with a large majority and promises of ‘change’, would show us a better, more compassionate way. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Home Office is getting it wrong

Less than two years since the election, and already on their second home secretary, the government is maintaining the toxic rhetoric and cruel policies of its predecessor, with a few nasty tweaks of its own. The current home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, seems determined to make life as difficult as possible for those seeking asylum, and is even threatening the rights of those already granted leave to remain.

Against the back-drop of a Home Office culture that seems to turn all incumbents towards the far-right, a new report Time for Change by prominent migration expert Zoe Gardner, in conjunction with Another Europe is Possible, proves there is another, better way.

HOT OFF THE PRESS: Time for Change is here!
Sick of the constant demonisation of migrants?
Want to see an alternative plan?
Our new report by @zoejardiniere.bsky.social outlines 9 steps to a system that delivers dignity for all.
Read it here: www.anothereurope.org/time-for-cha…

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— Another Europe Is Possible (@anothereurope.bsky.social) 5 December 2025 at 12:01

Time for Change

Billed as a “sensible and pragmatic alternative to the Labour government’s current immigration policy proposals”, the report describes the current approach as ‘a failure’, with neither the needs of migrants nor our communities being met.

The report’s alternative approach starts by recognising that with an ageing population, the UK needs immigration in order to fund public services and grow the economy. While the full report runs to 20 pages, a four-page summary details a ‘9-point plan for change’. This breaks down into three priority policy areas which collectively would “reduce irregular arrivals, drive up working conditions for all, and build robust and cohesive communities”. The report has been well received by senior Labour backbenchers, who we can but hope will apply pressure up the line

Priority policy areas: asylum

Under the heading of ‘Asylum’, the report proposes: safe regulated routes to replace irregular arrivals; the right to work and speedier asylum decisions; a not-for profit accommodation system.

The successful visa pathway that was opened for Ukrainians proved that speeding up the process was possible, despite the scale. The recommendations suggested that other clearly unsafe countries, such as Sudan and Eritrea, should also face a ‘light-touch’ approach, enabling faster decision making, integration and employment. In case you were wondering, the average wait for an asylum claim decision is around 400 days.

While waiting for a decision, asylum seekers should be housed in suitable accommodation provided and maintained by local authorities, and not by private companies seeking to extract huge sums and a healthy profit from government.

"Creating a poorer, more vulnerable migrant class of workers who have no long-term stake in our society worsens wages & conditions for everyone & increases resentment towards immigrants."
This. This. This.
@zoejardiniere.bsky.social is spot-on on why Government's hostile migration plans hurt us all.

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— Asylum Matters (@asylummatters.bsky.social) 7 February 2026 at 10:55

Work

The report proposes: a reform of labour inspections and protections from workplace exploitation; the scrapping of restrictive employer-sponsored visas; and integrating asylum seekers into the points-based visa system.

The proposals include decoupling the enforcement of labour standards from immigration control, ending the loopholes that prevent migrant workers from benefitting from efforts to tackle exploitation, low pay and trafficking. In order to prevent a two-tier workforce, employer-sponsored visas – which tie migrants rights to live in the country to a single employer – should be scrapped and replaced with a points-based system. This would allow asylum seekers to accrue points towards potentially earning a visa.

Integration

The report recommends three final points regarding integration: a simplified pathway to settlement after five years; the reintroduction of birthright citizenship and a reduction of integration barriers for children; and embracing a positive narrative about immigration, diversity and belonging.

The frequent changes to the visa system – described as “unnecessarily punitive and complex” – are effectively pulling the rug from under the feet of settled immigrants, creating fear, stress and often poverty and debt. Simpler pathways to settlement would “promote inclusion and economic empowerment, reduce the number of people who become undocumented”, and would better reflect public opinion. Many of the British public believe that those born in the UK should automatically be entitled to citizenship, despite what Reform UK might suggest.

The final point, and an extremely important one, is the need to change the narrative surrounding immigration. The divisive rhetoric of Brexit and the far-right has too long dominated any conversations on immigration, while ignoring the benefits to the country, both economically and culturally.

“It is our duty to become the welcoming and tolerant society that our own relatives would have hoped to find on the other side of our borders”

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— Fabio Chiusi (@fabiochiusi.bsky.social) 6 February 2026 at 08:54

Breaking the mould

When Gardner participated in Bremain in Spain’s Bremainers Ask last August, she was asked which countries have an immigration policy that could work as a model for the UK. My home of the last 18 years – Spain – was her answer. She described Spain’s approach as having “a very positive overall outlook towards immigration and work” and highlighted an integration process which includes Spanish language classes, integration classes and training matched with work opportunities.

Following an Immigration Regulation Update in 2025 – which overhauled procedures for foreign workers and students – Pedro Sánchez, the prime minister, has now gone further with his 2026 Regularization (Amnesty) policy which will see 500,000 undocumented migrants being granted a 1-year visa for work and residency, provided they have no criminal record and have lived in Spain for at least five months (as at the end of last year).

There is no question that Sánchez’s promotion of immigration, and his positive rhetoric, have been a key factor in Spain’s economic growth – currently the fastest in the Eurozone. It’s an approach that could work equally well in the UK, if only the hearts and minds of our government were open to the possibilities.

As Gardner says, “You can do something different. You can pave the way. You can be a leader,” just as Spain has. Or you can continue down the rabbit-hole of far-right, cruel, ultimately unsuccessful and immoral policies that will damage the UK economy and our reputation abroad.

So, what’s it to be, Mr. Starmer? More of the same, or a much needed ‘change’ like you promised?

Have you ever fancied yourself as a member of parliament? Or perhaps you’ve dreamed of a role in your local council, approving tax increases, revoking net-zero policies or betraying election promises. Then you’ve come to the right place!

Reform UK – formerly the Brexit Party/UKIP – are looking for new recruits across the country.

Responsibilities

As an MP or a local councillor, your role will be to represent your local constituents. Whether you choose ever to meet with them will be entirely at your discretion. However, you will be expected to respond to the occasional email or have your assistant do so on your behalf.

As a Reform UK politician, you would have the power to vote for or against new legislation – the decision as to whether to attend parliament in order to do so is entirely personal (and rarely employed).

Your role would include the promotion of MAGA-style values in a British setting, including the sharing of the leadership’s wise words on social media. (Ranting is permitted; explanations of policies are not required).

Background

Reform UK welcome new recruits from all walks of life, though a private education (or the wherewithal to pay for one) would be a bonus. Attendance at a boarding school, and therefore familiarity with a certain kind of discipline, would be most helpful.

Our doors are especially open to those with previous government/local government experience, regardless of former political affiliations. In fact, Tories are particularly welcome, as long as they are prepared to contradict any former negative comments about our party (or deny ever having said them, regardless of proof to the contrary).

NB. Former MPs need not be concerned about any run-ins with parliamentary authority, such as breaches of the ministerial code, unpaid tax issues etc. Such experiences will be of value, rather than a hindrance, to your successful application.

Skills

At Reform UK, we do things a little differently. We do not expect our representatives to devote many hours a week to their parliamentary role. In fact, we respect members taking time away from their role in order to satisfy the demands of any/all of their other jobs being held concurrently.

As for required skills, we only ask that you are argumentative, anti-immigration, evasive when asked direct questions and willing to offend (the media especially). Hand gestures are acceptable – finger-pointing absolutely essential.

You boy!
If you see any failed Tories in the dole queue send them over here.
Tell them I’m getting the old gang back together. pic.twitter.com/Q7us0wEEng

— Mark Cockerton (@CockertonMark) January 13, 2026

Salary and benefits

MPs will receive a salary of £94,000 per annum (updated annually above the rate of inflation), plus generous expenses, including thousands of pounds for living costs, travel and London rent (but only for you, not your horses, sadly).

Benefits include heavily subsidised meals, on those rare occasions members find themselves in the Palace of Westminster.

Local councillors are not paid a salary but receive taxable allowances to cover time and expenses. These vary according to the area, but there would be plenty of opportunities to garner additional remuneration locally. Probably.

Despite a lack of coherent policies, or any strategy to speak of, Reform UK is now home to such well-respected former Tories as Andrea Jenkyns, Lee Anderson, Danny Kruger, Ann Widdecombe, former chancellor (if only for 48 hours) Nadhim Zahawi, and, after being unceremoniously frogmarched off the Tory benches, Robert ‘Honest Bob’ Jenrick.

With their brains, experience and willingness to continue the fight despite former failures, we have a good chance of winning the next general election, thanks to our wonderful first-past-the-post voting system.

If you love your country (or how it used to be), and regardless of whether you’re a former Tory, REFORM UK needs you!

Don’t delay, apply now! The future of our country, the sanctity of Brexit, and our leaders’ bank balances are at stake!

Open any right-wing media and you’ll observe the stale and erroneous cry of “Brexit betrayal”. Whether it’s from a former Tory minister, a GB news presenter or an Express ‘journalist’, the sour grapes attitude smacks of irony – a fact the authors seem unable to grasp.

Whether it’s a debate on a customs union, agreement on rejoining Erasmus or plans to ‘get closer’ to the EU, it seems any proposals aimed at limiting the damage of Brexit are fair game.

Customs union bill

In what was claimed as a “historic victory” by LibDem Leader, Ed Davey, a private members bill was narrowly passed on 9 December. The UK-EU customs union (duty to negotiate) bill, described by the Guardian as “tokenistic” and likely to have “no practical impact”, still managed to rattle the Brexiters. Lacking any arguments as to why a democratic parliamentary debate on a bespoke customs union with the EU would be a bad thing, the cries of betrayal rang hollow.

Whether the Brexiters believe it’s the (declining number of) Brexit supporters that are being betrayed, or the whole country, is not always clear – filling in the blanks has never been a Brexiter strongpoint. As to the fact that those advocating leaving the EU swore blind Brexit would not mean leaving the customs union or the single market, it’s clear the country has been betrayed, not just those expressing their outrage.

GB News and the other Farage-backing media are furious that we won the vote on our customs union bill yesterday.

They know they're losing the argument and that the tide is turning.

More and more people back our plans to rebuild Britain's trade with Europe and tackle the cost of living crisis.

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— Liberal Democrats (@libdems.org.uk) 10 December 2025 at 11:42

Erasmus+ programme

Following the news that, after months of negotiations, the UK is finally rejoining the Erasmus+ scheme, new cries of betrayal have been voiced. Those voices include the former Tory home secretary, Priti Patel, who claims that Labour are continuing to “betray Brexit” and “have consistently undermined the result of the 2016 referendum”. Patel also accused the government of “throwing away billions of pounds of hard-pressed taxpayers’ money” on rejoining Erasmus.

2025: Priti Patel says Labour adopting Erasmus is a betrayal of Brexit

2020: Priti Patel was Home Secretary when her boss Boris Johnson said Erasmus would not be taken away because of Brexit

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— Farrukh (@implausibleblog.bsky.social) 17 December 2025 at 21:52

It would appear that, along with other former Tory minsters and MPs, Patel has forgotten what her former leader, Boris Johnson, promised at the despatch box in January 2020 – that there was “no threat” to the Erasmus scheme. Understandable, I guess, when there were so many misrepresentations of the facts, so many betrayals, so many broken promises. As to the cost, Brexiters seemingly also forget we must now pay non-membership fees for the benefits and opportunities of inclusion in any EU programmes.

Closer ties

Over recent months, the government has changed tack regarding the mention of Brexit, having abandoned their code of silence. Where once the rhetoric was about ‘making Brexit work’, and a ‘reset’ of EU/UK relations, lately the damage of Brexit has been openly discussed, even by the PM and chancellor. Calls for closer ties that would help limit the damage or improve trade, however, are – to Brexiters at least – yet more evidence of a Brexit betrayal.

As Starmer takes baby steps to undo some of the damage of Brexit, the ‘Brexit Betrayal’ narrative is revived. It won’t wash this time! We need to go further and faster back to the heart of Europe! 🇪🇺

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— Graham Simpson (@grahambs.bsky.social) 1 December 2025 at 15:18

Whether Brexiters truly believe their cries of betrayal, or whether it’s just more noise from those with no arguments or credibility left, surely it’s time to challenge the rhetoric. While talk of closer ties is welcome, the reluctance of Labour to revisit their red lines, and the snail’s pace of any progress, continues to frustrate. Government’s adherence to the letter of their manifesto – while showing a welcome commitment to promises made – demonstrates an unwillingness to be flexible, even when the situation changes.

There’s no doubt that relations between the UK and the EU have improved since Brexit. Or that the government are committed to strengthening those bonds and working more closely together on common goals. However, an apparent willingness to side with the US could seriously impact any future plans, especially if the government favour American policies and standards over European ones.

Brexiters short of any convincing arguments or facts will continue to cry betrayal at the least provocation. If our government continues to acknowledge the damage of Brexit while simultaneously failing to offer any real solutions, it won’t just be those on the far-right complaining. Those of us of a more ‘woke’ persuasion will be screaming betrayal too!

You can’t take Brexiters seriously any more. None of them.

We should have zero respect for anyone who is happy to turn a blind eye to the damage & losses

The news about Erasmus+ prompted Conservative Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel to fulminate: “Labour continue to betray Brexit.

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— Bremain in Spain (@bremaininspain.com) 18 December 2025 at 11:09

Earlier this year, we reported on a talk given by Professor Christina Pagel of University College London (UCL) at a Grassroots for Europe webinar about the Trump Action Tracker project, documenting the systematic dismantling of democratic institutions in the United States by the Trump regime. Bremain Treasurer Helen Johnston writes for Yorkshire Bylines.

On 9 December, in a webinar attended by activists and policy-watchers, Professor Pagel presented a bleak update, making it clear that the Trump regime’s actions are reshaping global norms, with consequences that Europe and the UK can no longer ignore. Her Trump Tracker has recorded over 2,000 individual actions since January and the picture that emerges is one of a relentless, systemic campaign to capture institutions, reward allies, and punish enemies at home and abroad.

The populist, authoritarian playbook

From violating democratic norms through to weakening civil rights, corruption, personal enrichment and nationalism, Pagel argues that it’s truer now than ever that Trump has embraced a populist right wing authoritarian playbook.

Pagel points to deregulation and government contracts designed to benefit friendly companies, especially in technology, cryptocurrencies and fossil fuels. Disaster relief money has been openly steered towards red states, while Democratic ones are left to struggle.

A wave of pardons has favoured donors and loyalists, while legal cases that were started under Biden against powerful firms have been dropped. Meanwhile, Trump and his family have found many ways to personally profit from office, whether by buying government bonds whose value they influence, striking foreign property deals, or cashing in on crypto, even selling Trump-branded phones and perfume from the White House itself.

Then there is his appetite for personal glorification. The US Institute of Peace has been renamed the Trump Institute of Peace, US national parks now offer free entry on Trump’s birthday but not on Martin Luther King Day, and FIFA has awarded him its first ‘peace prize’. Institutions are learning that currying favour brings rewards.

Destabilising the global order

The Trump Tracker has logged 265 actions relating to US foreign policy since January, including the systematic undermining of international institutions, economic coercion and threats of force. Threats have been targeted at Greenland, Panama, Canada and Gaza and, since September, military action against Venezuela has escalated, with one recent incident labelled a war crime by international lawyers.

Alongside direct force, the US is deploying trade wars, tariffs, sanctions, and aid blackmail: threats to cut off aid to states such as Argentina unless it backs Trump-aligned candidates; sanctions on Brazilian judges, ICC lawyers, and South Africa. There are real-world consequences for those targeted, from frozen bank access to travel bans.

The same authoritarian logic is applied to immigration, asylum, and aid. Visa applicants will be vetted for ‘anti-regime’ social media, and anyone who has ever worked in fact-checking, misinformation research, or content moderation may be banned. Travel bans have been imposed on 19 countries, with proposals to extend to more than 30. Asylum has effectively been halted, with the notable exception of white South African farmers. US support for major global health and humanitarian programmes has been withdrawn, including USAID projects and funding to combat HIV and the GAVI vaccine alliance, with devastating results.

Europe can no longer pretend the US is a protector

In September, Pagel warned that Europe could no longer treat the US as a reliable protector. Events since then have only confirmed and sharpened that warning. Trump’s rhetoric about Europe has become more openly hostile: Europe is “decaying”, its leaders “weak”, and EU rules on climate, human rights and tech regulation are framed as intolerable constraints on US interests.

The Trump regime repeatedly claims free speech is under attack in Europe. But Pagel would argue that the true threat to free speech comes from the US. It’s not just visa applicants being policed: under new rules, US citizens’ social media posts, protest attendance, and other activities will come under surveillance for evidence of views deemed critical of the US or its government.

And now, of course, Trump has turned his sights on the BBC, bringing to Europe the brutal legal tactics he uses to intimidate and punish non-compliant media in the US.

Most alarmingly, a new official US National Security Strategy openly states that the US will no longer guarantee Europe’s security, claiming that “…within a few decades at the latest, certain NATO members will become majority non-European” – a barely-coded reference to race. Accusing the EU of ‘stifling political liberty’, the strategy paper states that US interests will be served by backing “patriotic” (ie, far-right) parties to victory in Europe. As Pagel says:

Are UK institutions ready for a similar assault?

Pagel recently worked with Professor Martin McKee on the independent agencies that generate evidence, regulate sectors and hold the UK government to account. Their report examined key ‘arm’s-length bodies’, identifying areas where they are vulnerable to state capture and offered a series of recommendations for defending democratic infrastructures.

Drawing on this work, Pagel asks: could what has happened to US institutions happen here? Her conclusion is alarming: the UK is at least as vulnerable, and in some respects more so. Some organisations, such as the Office for National Statistics (ONS), have considerable embedded independence guaranteed in law. Others, such as the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), have almost none: they sit wholly within a department, lack a firm statutory footing, and could be reorganised or abolished almost overnight, as happened to Public Health England during the pandemic.

Strikingly, the leaders of the majority of these bodies are effectively minister-appointed. Ministers can override independent selectionpanels either by forcing a process to be re-run until the ‘right’ candidate emerges, or by directly appointing someone the panel considers unsuitable. The long saga of attempts to install Paul Dacre at Ofcom, Pagel suggests, is a warning of how this power can be abused. “You can get away with these kinds of vulnerabilities when no one is actively trying to exploit them,” Pagel warns, “but by the time you realise you need safeguards, it’s too late.”

It can happen here

In this respect, the rise of the populist right is deeply worrying. Reform has already announced plans to undermine institutions along the lines of Trump’s DOGE; to hollow out our institutions and politicise our judiciary and civil service. Farage’s recent attacks on the BBC, parrot Trump’s threats against the broadcaster, while pushing channels such as GB news. The Tories have also been talking about activist judges and lawyers in language that Pagel finds “quite scary”.

Meanwhile, some of the world’s richest men are increasingly willing to use their platforms and fortunes to interfere in other countries’ politics. If, on top of the Russian disinformation and interference we have already seen, Musk and others start pouring billions into UK, German or French elections, it could destabilise those processes. Terrifyingly, “the best hope for the UK is that Musk seems to think Farage is too soft, and really wants Tommy Robinson.”

Pagel is a health systems researcher who, during Covid, saw at first-hand how politics and disinformation can cost lives, so “If you’re literally seeing the most powerful country in the world fall into fascism, I feel like you have to do something.” Her message to Europeans is stark: stop assuming that “it can’t happen here” and stop assuming that the USA is on our side.

The vulnerabilities are real, the threats are explicit, and, if democracies want resilient institutions, they must strengthen them now, before they come under the sort of sustained assault already visible across the Atlantic.

On Saturday 13 September, it was my pleasure to join the Thank EU for the Music team handing out EU flags at the Royal Albert Hall. In what has become an annual event, guests arriving for the BBC’s Last Night of the Proms were offered free EU berets and over 3,000 free EU flags; many even came prepared by bringing their own EU flags from home.

It was a pleasure to be there, to see so many EU flags & to talk to so many people that want to see us back in the EU.
@bremaininspain.com @euflagmafia.bsky.social
#thankEUforthemusic

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— Sue Wilson MBE (@suewilson91.bsky.social) 14 September 2025 at 12:19

EU flags at the Proms

The aim was to see thousands of flags being waved alongside the Union Jack during the Proms finale of Land of Hope and Glory and Jerusalem. Even the BBC’s blue lighting could not disguise the level of EU support or dampen the fervour of those expressing concerns about the damage of Brexit and the urgent need to rejoin the EU.

While our small, peaceful and friendly flag-waving efforts received no attention, the world’s media were out in force earlier in the day, covering flag-waving of an entirely different nature. Fuelled by hate, rage and in many cases alcohol, a record crowd of over 110,000 marched through Westminster for Tommy Robinson’s ‘Unite the Kingdom’.

Although small in comparison to earlier peaceful demonstrations against Brexit, war or hate, Saturday’s event was notable for the antisocial behaviour and for violent clashes with the police. Following the event, where 26 police officers were injured (four seriously), Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said that 25 arrests had been made and more were expected over the coming days.

Hooliganism, not patriotism

According to the European Union, the EU flag symbolises “the ideals of unity, solidarity and harmony among the peoples of Europe”. The Union flag and St George’s flag, on the other hand, have taken on a new, more sinister meaning since being commandeered by the far right. Rather than demonstrating the patriotism that Robinson and his followers claim, the flag waving and flag hanging have become both a threat and a provocation – another weapon in the imagined war against anyone not recognised as part of their tribe. To be a member, it would seem, means being white, straight, and what the tribe determines to be British or English.

If that weren’t bad enough, some protesters – or to call them what they really are, hooligans – were seen carrying Christian crosses, adding religion to their long list of reasons to hate anyone who doesn’t look or act just like them. Of course, not all of the protesters are fascist and/or racist. But those who aren’t, seem more than willing to stand alongside those who are or to listen to speeches that most definitely were.

Drunken thugs doing more to dishonour our flag and our capital than any of their imaginary enemies ever managedpic.twitter.com/8Mtx0zfJWg

— Otto English (@Otto_English) September 13, 2025

Outside interference

As if we didn’t have enough home-grown fascists to deal with, the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, joined the rally by video link, calling for the “dissolution of parliament”. He told the assembled crowd he was appealing to British “common sense” and that “whether you choose violence or not, violence is coming to you”, adding, “you either fight back or you die”.

It’s unclear whether Musk provided any funding for Saturday’s rally, but Robinson has been funded by wealthy American far-right supporters in the past, including US tech billionaire Robert Shillman. Musk also helped revive Robinson’s fortunes in 2022 by reversing Robinson’s Twitter ban once he’d taken over the social media platform. Considering the scale and organisation of the London rally, it’s clear there was considerable funding behind it, even if the source of that funding remains unclear.

Elon Musk called for the “dissolution of parliament” and change of government in the U.K. during a far-right rally in London yesterday, speaking via video link.

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— POLITICO Europe (@politico.eu) 14 September 2025 at 12:07

Divide and conquer

Ever since Brexit, the far right have successfully provoked dissent and division to satisfy their own political aims. Where once debate was possible between those with different views, now opinions are more entrenched, both with the public and with those who represent us. By making people feel that they must pick a side, the space for discussion – even on common areas of agreement – has shrunk.

Leaving aside the extremists, many have been drawn to the likes of Farage and Robinson because of their own very real grievances – grievances the right is adept at exploiting. Those in the political centre, and even on the left, share many of those same grievances – whether it’s the state of the NHS, the lack of jobs or affordable housing, the cost of living or concerns about immigration. What’s also common across the political landscape is a lack of faith in our parliamentarians to fix the problems, even if/when they accept that those problems exist

Land of Hope and Glory?

The Unite the Kingdom rally – and other recent activities by the far right – have made many feel uneasy about waving the flags of England or the UK. However, for many Albert Hall promenaders, there seemed a great determination to reclaim their own ideals and symbols of patriotism and the traditions of the occasion.

While many expressed their concern over earlier violent events in London, there was still a desire to cling to older, more familiar and certainly more acceptable ideas of Britishness. For many, that vision of Britishness would ideally include a return to Europe, as was evidenced by the number of attendees keen to fly both the Union Jack and the EU flag.

Of course, Elgar’s Land of Hope and Glory, even with its outdated theme of imperial pride, will always stir the blood for its melody, if not for its lyrics. But whether it will bring back the hope, the glory or the pride we once felt for our country remains questionable.

Never surrender our flag

Thankfully, if rather late in the day, Keir Starmer stated that Britain will “never surrender” our flag to far-right protesters, reminding the public that our nation was “proudly built on tolerance, diversity and respect”. The PM’s comments, while welcome, followed criticism that he had failed to condemn racist attacks or to defend those on the receiving end of far-right bile and violence. Starmer may feel comfortable with his new-found attachment to the British flag, but for us ‘woke’ types, the flag’s association with the far right has stolen any remaining pride.

By stark contrast, the attachment that British pro-Europeans feel for the EU flag – and to its association with peace, unity and solidarity – remains as strong as ever. So does our desire to see the UK returned to its former glory and British citizens returned to full EU citizenship status, reclaiming the benefits and opportunities we so greatly miss.

In the meantime, we’ll keep handing out EU flags and explaining to anyone willing to listen how to make Britain the land of hope and glory once more.

Encore!