Standing on a balcony, looking over a crowded hall in Swindon, Nigel Farage observed. Not at his lieutenants firing up the crowd, but at the audience. What were they reacting to? What was striking a chord?
Within 30 minutes of the warm-up acts, the Reform leader had calculated the gathering was “older” than most of the party’s rallies and that many of them were probably traditional conservatives.
Nigel Farage in control at the Meca Swindon Reform rally (Image: PHIL HARRIS)
Describing them as “Reform-curious”, Mr Farage declared he had to win over their hearts and minds before walking out to a rock-star reception, complete with fireworks and adoring supporters chanting his name.
It was the finale of another day of campaigning ahead of the crucial May 7 elections.
The Express first met Mr Farage on Thursday outside of RAF Fairford. Addressing a video camera, the Reform UK leader warned his army of social media followers Britain was involved in the Iran war “whether we like it or not”.
He then launched a blistering attack on Keir Starmer for failing to let Donald Trump use Diego Garcia, the now infamous airbase in the Chagos Islands, or RAF Fairford for the initial US/Israeli bombing raids on Iran, warning it had plunged the Special Relationship with the US into crisis.
Turning to the Express, with America’s B1 bombers in the background, he declared: “There’s virtually no Royal Navy. It is shameful, not just how small our navy is, but most of it is in dry dock.
“I’m hoping this moment is a major wake-up call to the sheer extent of dereliction. We’ve underplayed defence at a time when the world is at a more dangerous place since 1945.
“We are weak, we have nothing, we are vulnerable, we are under threat and what Starmer did by saying no to the Americans to begin with, has now broken the special relationship.
Several cars hooted their horns as they drove past Mr Farage and the half dozen cameras pointing his way.
Nigel Farage has a joke with the staff serving food to the crew at the Reform Conference (Image: PHIL HARRIS)
Nigel Farage meets local candidates (Image: PHIL HARRIS)
But shortly after, a convoy of cars left for the MECA entertainment venue in Swindon.
Arriving just before 4pm, a handful of supporters were already waiting to get in. Security had already installed metal detectors and multiple search points inside the venue. The bar had already opened.
On a balcony overlooking the hall, with hundreds of chairs already laid out and production staff putting the final touches on the rally, Mr Farage, Reform party chairman Dr David Bull, and a host of volunteers and aides mingled with local candidates.
It simultaneously felt like a hive of activity, with very few moments of genuine peace, and the quiet before the storm.
Catering staff had set up a chilli dinner for all of the Reform activists following the leader up and down the country.
In a small curtained-off area which acted as a makeshift green room, Mr Farage quietly ate a couple of cheese and pickle sandwiches before his next meet-and-greet with local supporters. He would then return to speak to his staff and check messages.
It was then the Reform leader began to discuss the make-up of those attending.
He told the Express how 80% of those coming to MECA were not Reform members.
They were “Reform-curious” people, he said, keen to hear what the party top of the polls had to stay – but wondering if they were “competent.”.
“These are members of the public. The reason they are here is we have advertised in the local paper, we advertised on Facebook, we put leaflets out and they come, everywhere we go,” Mr Farage said.
“Do you know why? They are so desperately worried about the state of the country.
“They are coming along to see, ‘are we good enough to turn it around?’
“Most of this audience are what I call ‘Reform-curious’. They come along, they have not made their minds up, but they are hoping to listen to what we have to say.
“Isn’t that how democracy ought to work?”
In simple terms, many of these people were those Mr Farage was hoping to win over.
Daily Express Home Affairs Editor Michael Knowles was given exclusive access to Reform’s event (Image: Phil Harris)
Nigel Farage addresses the crowd at the MECA Swindon rally (Image: PHIL HARRIS)
Nigel Farage with the Express’s Michael Knowles at RAF Fairford (Image: PHIL HARRIS)
Mr Farage admitted this approach could lead to protesters. There were certainly enough demonstrators outside the venue and there was a lingering fear one or two could get through.
Security staff indicated there were more people than usual outside, but they were privately hoping the rain would drive them inside.
As David Bull, then East Wiltshire MP Danny Kruger set out Reform’s policies on a host of topics, including immigration, Mr Farage moved to the edge of the balcony.
But it wasn’t to watch the speeches in isolation, he insisted.
It was to observe how the crowd was reacting.
And Mr Farage said this can often to lead to last-minute changes to planned speeches. For Reform UK, these local elections are hugely significant. Party strategists believe it is the moment they can become the main party on the centre-right of British politics.
Victory, Mr Farage declared, would show millions of voters Reform could win a General Election.
He told the Express: “This is Swindon, right? It’s slightly post-industrial, suffering as a town many of the symptoms that the country is suffering from, hundreds of boat boys living in hotels.
“This has been a bellwether seat, Tory-Labour-Tory-Labour. I believe on May 7 we will win this council.
“I can’t predict everywhere, but I think we’re going to win here and we’re going to get amazing results across the country.
“Zack Polanski’s support will be in very specific areas. If we perform as well on May 7 as I think we can, the perception we can win the General Election will become commonplace.”
A lot of attention in Westminster has been focused on whether Reform has “peaked”.
Mr Farage scoffed at the idea, declaring: “Success is winning. It’s so diverse, we have Scotland, Wales, all of the London boroughs, thousands of council seats in the Midlands, the North.
“I think the key marker will be percentage votes across the country and the number of seats won.
“We are wildly optimistic that we can win these elections, that Starmer will be gone by the end of May.
“We haven’t peaked. Our vote is rock solid. Is it as high as it was last July? No.
“When you’ve won as we did on May 1 last year, you go up a little bit. We are still rock solid.
“We have broken the two party system”.
Mr Farage then spent 20 minutes on stage, firing up the crowd by warning of the dire state of Britain and its catastrophic decline, before offering a more optimistic vision.
The message did seem to strike a chord. People cheered, and shouted out in agreement with Mr Farage. Illegal migration and the contentious issue of asylum hotels drew a particularly strong reaction.
And Mr Farage ended his speech by making a direct plea to the “Reform-curious” people, urging them to do their bit to “save Britain” from becoming a “third-world country”.
A vociferous round-of-applause and a standing ovation will prompt hope some of those people were converted.
Back on the balcony, the aides, coming to the end of their working nights, began to observe how fired up the crowds were, and that the event had been a huge success.
But for many Reformers in Swindon, the show will go on, with many more rallies planned over the coming weeks.
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