Has Clacton fallen for Nigel Farage? – podcast
He claims he could be prime minister in 2029 but first he has to become an MP. Will it be eighth time lucky for Reform’s leader? Esther Addley reports
When Nigel Farage arrived in Clacton to launch his campaign to become the Essex constituency’s new MP, he was greeted with an adoring crowd – and a milkshake in the face. But what happened when the Farage fans and cameras went home? Will Clacton’s residents really give Farage a Westminster seat on his eighth attempt?
Esther Addley, the Guardian’s senior news writer, has been visiting the town since the Reform UK leader announced his candidacy to find out why he feels his brand of populism could find a home there. She spoke to people who felt he was divisive and wanted him gone, while others felt he understood them and their worries in a way that other politicians did not.
Helen Pidd hears how immigration was a popular reason given for the problems that people saw around them in Clacton, which has areas of real deprivation. Yet, Esther points out, this is despite the fact that the constituency has a low level of immigration and is overwhelmingly white. And, says one farmer, the need for more migrant workers is causing real problems for agriculture in rural parts of the constituency.
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