Farage: ‘Back Reform to remove Starmer’ (Image: Getty)

Nigel Farage has urged people to back Reform at today’s local elections to remove the “gutless” Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, from office. The rallying cry comes as millions of people head to the polls for a bumper set of elections across England, Scotland and Wales. Reform UK is predicted to pick up hundreds of seats, having topped the opinion polls for months.

It could be a punishing election for Sir Keir, whose party faces a battering in London and Wales, where they historically have done very well. Mr Farage, 62, has long said that the elections are an opportunity for people annoyed by the Labour Government to show their frustration at the ballot box.

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Sir Keir Starmer, taking to social media, said that other parties were not delivering for local communities. He wrote: “Back a better future for your local community.”

But Mr Farage urged supporters of his insurgent political movement to “continue the journey of getting our great country back on track.”

Starmer faces battering in London and Wales (Image: Getty)

Polling tax across the country today, and you can check if there are elections in your area here. Polling stations are open from 07:00 to 22:00, and you will need a photographic ID to vote.

Farage Urges Britain to Back Reform and Oust ‘Gutless’ Starmer at the Polls

Nigel Farage has intensified his campaign for Reform UK, arguing that Britain needs a fundamental change in political direction and urging voters to turn away from the established parties.

The headline surrounding his latest intervention refers to Keir Starmer, but Britain’s political landscape has changed significantly since then. Starmer is no longer prime minister, with Andy Burnham having taken over the Labour leadership and entering Downing Street earlier this year. Farage, however, has continued to make the same broader argument: that voters should reject what he describes as the political establishment and give Reform UK the opportunity to govern.

In June, Farage called for a general election at the earliest possible opportunity, describing Britain as being in a state of crisis and arguing that voters had already demonstrated their desire for political change. Reform subsequently built its national campaign around the promise of rapid action during the first 100 days of a future government.

The latest developments have placed Reform at the centre of Britain’s increasingly fragmented political debate.

Farage’s call for a political change

Farage’s central message is that the traditional parties have failed to address some of the issues that matter most to voters.

Immigration, the cost of energy, public services, taxation and the performance of government have all featured prominently in his speeches.

At Reform UK’s conference in September, Farage announced what the party called its “100-day pledge”. Among its headline commitments was a promise to stop small-boat crossings within the first 100 days of a Reform government.

The party has also pledged to cut household energy bills by £250, increase NHS training and change Britain’s approach to net-zero policy.

Farage presented these policies as evidence that Reform would attempt to deliver measurable changes quickly rather than asking voters to wait years for results.

His proposal goes further than simply publishing a list of policies.

He has proposed a system in which ministers would have 100 days after an election to deliver specific commitments. According to Farage’s plan, ministers who failed to implement their pledges would be expected to resign, and those who refused could be dismissed.

The proposal is intended to address one of Farage’s longstanding criticisms of British politics: the belief that politicians can make promises during election campaigns without facing sufficiently direct consequences when those promises are not fulfilled.

Immigration remains at the centre

Immigration continues to be one of Reform UK’s defining political issues.

Farage has repeatedly argued that Britain needs stronger control over its borders and a different approach to irregular migration.

The small boats crossing the English Channel have become particularly important to Reform’s political messaging.

The party’s pledge to stop the crossings within 100 days is deliberately ambitious. It gives voters a clear target against which the party could potentially be judged if it were to enter government.

The issue is complicated, however, by the legal and international obligations surrounding asylum.

Britain remains bound by domestic and international legal frameworks concerning refugees and asylum seekers. Any government attempting to make major changes would therefore have to operate within, or seek to amend, those legal arrangements.

For Reform, the argument is that previous governments have been too cautious and that stronger measures are required.

Supporters of the party see the issue as one of national control and border enforcement. Critics argue that the problem cannot be solved through slogans alone and that effective policy must address the reasons people undertake dangerous journeys in the first place.

Energy bills and net zero

Farage has also attempted to broaden Reform’s appeal beyond immigration.

Energy policy has become a major part of his economic message.

At the party’s September conference, Reform pledged to reduce household energy bills by £250 and announced that it would end what Farage described as the damaging consequences of Britain’s current net-zero approach.

The argument is straightforward: households should not be expected to bear excessive costs in the name of environmental targets.

Farage has also connected energy policy with Britain’s industrial competitiveness, arguing that high energy costs can make it harder for British businesses to compete internationally.

Environmental groups and supporters of stronger climate action take a different view. They argue that abandoning or weakening climate policies could create long-term economic and environmental costs.

The disagreement therefore goes beyond the question of monthly household bills.

It concerns the fundamental direction of Britain’s energy system and the balance between affordability, energy security, industrial competitiveness and climate commitments.

Reform’s NHS argument

The NHS is another area where Farage is attempting to demonstrate that Reform’s programme is about more than immigration.

At his September conference speech, he criticised Britain’s reliance on internationally trained doctors and nurses and said Reform would increase domestic NHS training.

This is connected to the party’s wider argument about immigration.

Reform says Britain should train more of its own workers instead of depending so heavily on recruitment from overseas.

The proposal raises a practical question, however: increasing domestic medical training takes time.

Doctors and nurses require years of education and professional training. Even if a future government dramatically increased training places, the effect on staffing levels would not be immediate.

That distinction between an immediate political pledge and a long-term policy outcome will be important if Reform’s proposals are eventually tested in government.

A changing political landscape

Farage’s campaign comes at a time when the traditional two-party structure of British politics has become increasingly fragmented.

Reform has established itself as a major force, while the Conservatives, Labour, Greens and Liberal Democrats are all competing for different sections of the electorate.

Recent polling illustrates how fluid the situation has become.

A YouGov poll conducted on September 20 and 21, 2026, put Labour on 23%, with Reform UK and the Conservatives both on 21%. The Greens were on 14% and the Liberal Democrats on 12%.

These figures are a snapshot of voting intention rather than a prediction of an election result.

They nevertheless demonstrate that Reform’s support is not operating in a simple two-party contest.

Farage therefore faces competition not only from Labour but also from the Conservatives and newer political movements.

The challenge from Restore Britain

One of the most significant developments for Reform has been the emergence of Restore Britain, founded by former Reform MP Rupert Lowe.

The two sides have had a difficult relationship since Lowe’s departure from Reform.

Farage has indicated that he remains open to discussions about cooperation, but he has also attached conditions to any potential arrangement.

This matters because Britain’s first-past-the-post electoral system means that votes divided between parties with similar political positions can have important consequences at constituency level.

Farage is therefore attempting to persuade voters who support Reform or related political movements to avoid splitting their votes.

At the same time, Reform must compete with the Conservatives for voters who want a more right-leaning political direction but may still identify with the traditional Conservative Party.

Reform faces questions of its own

Farage’s call for political change comes while Reform itself is facing scrutiny.

The party’s September conference was overshadowed by controversy surrounding allegations involving foreign donations. Two senior Reform figures were suspended after an undercover investigation recorded comments apparently discussing ways of attracting money from overseas.

Farage said he was “100% confident” that Reform had never taken illegal foreign donations, while acknowledging that the situation was damaging to the party’s image.

The allegations remain a politically important issue because Reform has presented itself as a party that would operate differently from established Westminster politics.

Financial transparency is therefore particularly relevant to the party’s public image.

The distinction between allegations, investigations and proven wrongdoing is important. The existence of an investigation or controversy does not itself establish that an electoral law has been broken.

Nevertheless, the issue has created an additional challenge for Farage as he seeks to portray Reform as a credible alternative government.

Farage’s personal standing

Farage also faces questions about his own popularity.

A YouGov tracker published in September found that 69% of Britons had an unfavourable opinion of Farage, while 24% viewed him favourably. YouGov said the unfavourable figure was the highest recorded for Farage in its tracker.

That does not mean that all voters who view Farage unfavourably oppose Reform’s policies.

Political leaders can have controversial personal images while their parties maintain significant levels of support.

Nevertheless, the figures illustrate the challenge facing Farage if he wants to transform Reform from a protest-oriented political movement into a party capable of governing.

He must persuade voters not simply that the existing system is failing, but that his party can provide an effective alternative.

The question of leadership

The political circumstances surrounding Farage have changed dramatically in a short period.

When Starmer was prime minister, Farage regularly directed his attacks at the Labour leader.

Now the political target has changed.

Andy Burnham is prime minister, and Farage has turned his criticism towards the new government.

In a September article, Farage argued that Burnham had been in office for almost 50 days and questioned what had changed under his leadership. He also repeated his call for a radical political alternative.

This illustrates an important feature of Farage’s strategy.

His argument is not fundamentally dependent on one particular Labour leader.

Instead, he portrays Reform as an alternative to the established political system itself.

Whether that message persuades voters will depend on how they assess the competing parties and their proposed policies.

What Reform is asking voters to consider

Farage’s message can ultimately be reduced to a series of questions for the electorate.

Do voters want a much tougher approach to immigration?

Should energy policy be changed to prioritise lower costs and industrial competitiveness?

Should Britain expand domestic NHS training?

Should net-zero policies be significantly altered?

Should ministers face stronger consequences when they fail to deliver campaign promises?

And should Reform UK be given the opportunity to put its programme into practice?

These are political choices rather than questions with universally agreed answers.

Farage is attempting to make Reform’s programme concrete by attaching specific deadlines and measurable commitments to it.

The 100-day pledge is particularly important because it provides a framework through which voters could judge the party’s performance.

Britain at a political crossroads

The continuing rise of Reform, the emergence of new parties and the weakening of traditional political loyalties mean Britain’s political environment is considerably more fragmented than it was a decade ago.

Farage has spent much of his political career arguing that voters need a different choice.

His latest programme represents another attempt to turn that argument into a governing proposition.

The political environment, however, is not standing still.

Labour has changed leadership. The Conservatives are attempting to rebuild. The Greens are expanding their ambitions, while Restore Britain is competing for some of the same voters as Reform.

That means Farage’s challenge is no longer simply to criticise the government.

He must persuade voters that Reform has the policies, personnel and organisation required to govern a country of more than 60 million people.

For now, the argument remains open.

Farage is asking voters to support a programme built around tighter immigration controls, lower energy costs, changes to net-zero policy, increased domestic NHS training and stronger ministerial accountability. Reform’s opponents offer substantially different approaches to many of the same problems.

The next stage of Britain’s political debate will therefore be less about whether Farage can attract attention and more about whether voters accept his proposed solutions.

The title may speak of removing Starmer, but the political reality of September 2026 is different. Starmer has already left Downing Street.

The question now is broader: what direction do British voters want the country to take, and which political programme do they believe best addresses their priorities?

That debate is likely to shape British politics for years to come.