Who’s a Fascist? by Neil Lock

This essay is about Nigel Farage, and his party Reform UK. Among Farage’s opponents, it is all the rage today to accuse him and the party of being fascist. If not also racist and anti-semitic.

The first wave of accusations came in 2013, and concerned incidents from the early 1980s. The story seems to be that, while in 1981 Farage was being considered to be made a prefect at school, one teacher wrote a letter to the headmaster, accusing him of all manner of things. This story was picked up by a Channel 4 news reporter, who accused him of having held “neo-Fascist views” and shouted Hitler Youth songs during his schooldays. It was later repeated in a 2022 book by the same reporter.

Singing rowdy songs is a perfectly normal thing for schoolboys to do. I did it myself! Ours were rugby songs, not political ones. But they would have enraged today’s politically correct prudes just as much as anything nazi propagandists could have penned. That said, Nigel Farage was an army cadet while at school; and their conduct is notorious.

As to him having ever had neo-fascist views, I have not managed to find any substantive evidence of such a thing. The only sane verdict, then, has to be “not proven.”

Recent developments

Beginning in September 2025, there was more of the same. The timing was, perhaps, not unconnected with a poll which had just shown Reform with 35% of the vote share nationally. It began with Zack Polanski, Green party leader, declaiming: “Fascism is at our doorstep – we’ve seen that with Nigel Farage’s press conferences.” It was followed up by deputy prime minister David Lammy, who accused Farage of “flirting with the Hitler Youth.” A claim backed up by nothing but the same old 2013 story. Lammy later retracted it.

Things started to heat up in November. There is a timeline, here: [[1]]. Initially, the allegations were made almost entirely by the Guardian. Later on, the BBC, ITV and the Morning Star joined in. The whole thing was, clearly, choreographed. Then Keir Starmer got in on the act, calling Farage “spineless.”

Again, it was all about what (may or may not have) happened back in 1981, 45 years ago. The accusations this time were not being fascist per se, nor even singing nazi songs, but racism and anti-semitism. Moving the goalposts, no? And even those who have exceptional memories will be untrustworthy after such a long time.

The Attorney General, Lord Hermer, then demanded that Farage apologize for his anti-semitism. This was a typical political catch-22 ploy. He’d be damned if he did it, yet open to more harassment if he didn’t. We the people can see through that kind of crap nowadays.

Then, in early January, culture secretary Lisa Nandy, when asked on air by Trevor Phillips if a Farage-led government would be fascist, eventually answered: “If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, in my experience, it usually is a duck.”

What do fascists do?

If I didn’t know what a duck was, and had to work out whether an animal was a duck or not, I’d have to start by finding out what ducks do. Then I could judge the animal by comparing what it does with the actions to be expected of a duck. I call this “judgement by behaviour.”

So, what do fascists do, as and when they get government power? Says Britannica: they show “extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and the rule of élites, and the desire to create a community in which individual interests would be subordinated to the good of the nation.”

They oppose Marxism and socialism, even though there are strong similarities between fascist régimes and communist ones. They oppose democracy, and favour the use of strong central power to preserve the political status quo. They have zero concern for the rights and freedoms of individuals. They are authoritarian, with a desire to become totalitarian. They want the state to take control over the economy. And most favour the interests of the very rich over the middle and working classes and the poor. They have a liking for violence and intimidation, and a high regard for military exploits. They indoctrinate the people with propaganda. They like to hold mass ceremonies of affirmation and conformity. And they like to pick on scapegoats for persecution (often on the basis of their race).

Are Nigel Farage and Reform UK fascists?

I’ll break this question into four parts. One, is Reform a fascist party? Two, is it racist? Three, is it anti-semitic? And four, what of Nigel Farage as an individual? If the party is convicted on any of the first three, then because he is its leader, it would be reasonable to suppose that Nigel was guilty of the same, absent specific evidence to the contrary.

How to answer these questions? Where necessary, I will use quotes from the “Contract with You,” the party’s 2024 election manifesto, together with a few things I have found out since then. Of course, the proof of the pudding is in the eating; for politicians of all parties routinely renege on their promises. But these quotes will give us a good start.

Does Reform oppose Marxism and socialism? Well, yes. But so does anyone who cares about the rights and freedoms of individual human beings.

Does Reform oppose democracy? The Contract promises to “end the corruption of our government and politics by an out-of-touch, London-centric élite to make Britain a more democratic, accountable and therefore more prosperous nation.” They will legislate “to stop … politically correct ideology that threatens personal freedom and democracy.” And they want to “replace the crony-filled House of Lords with a much smaller, more democratic second chamber.” So, the answer is No.

Does Reform favour strong central power, and the current political establishment? No: for it seeks, among other things, to “cut nanny state regulations” and to convene an “excess deaths and vaccine harms public enquiry.” It is also opposed to Labour’s schemes that seek to centralize powers in local government.

Does Reform lack concern for the rights and freedoms of individuals? No. It offers “to stop politically correct ideology that threatens personal freedom,” and a British Bill of Rights in which our rights and freedoms “must be codified and guaranteed.” It “opposes a cashless society.” And Nigel Farage strongly says No to any UK digital ID. As a civil liberties activist myself, I say that’s a lot better than Tories or Labour. But again, the pudding must be proven.

Does Reform want to create a totalitarian state? Not if the Contract with You can be believed.

Does Reform want state control over the economy? No. Indeed, it wants to “abolish IR35” (of which I myself am a victim) and to “support small and medium-sized enterprises.” They do, however, propose “tighter regulation and a new ownership model for critical national infrastructure.” Like roads, railways and water. But this is understandable, given that it’s an area in which the current system has totally failed.

Does Reform favour the very rich over the middle and working classes? No. They want to “cut taxes to make work pay.” And they are against “complex offshore property company structures and high interest shareholder loans.”

Does Reform set a high priority on military activity? Well, yes, considering the low state to which the UK military has fallen. But enemies and potential enemies are not going away quite yet. So, the problems do need to be addressed.

Is Reform a racist party? I quote from its constitution: it “does not discriminate against or in favour of any person on the grounds of their race, religion, gender, ethnic origin, education, beliefs, sexual orientation, social class, sectarianism or any other basis prescribed by law.”

Does Reform pick scapegoats? Some would say that it targets “illegal” immigrants. But why are they here, without first having been accepted by the community of British people? And why are they showered with benefits, without ever having paid any UK taxes?

But maybe there is a group of immigrants Reform would victimize. That is, those who came “legally” from the EU before 2020, and have settled and integrated here. If Reform gets power, they face a future in which they must again and again re-apply for UK residence.

To anti-semitism. I don’t know of any Jewish members in our local branch of Reform. But I certainly wouldn’t object to them; because I operate “judgement by behaviour,” as I described above. I don’t care who someone is. Just what they do.

As to Nigel Farage, he positively supports Israel in the conflict in Gaza. You can accuse him of being callous to Palestinians, if you will; but he is no Jew-hater.

That’s a pretty meagre ration of similarities between, on the one hand, Nigel Farage and Reform UK, and on the other, fascists. Do you not agree?

Are Labour fascists?

Now for the (first) fun bit. Let’s apply the same test to Labour. I do realize that I’m being a little generous to Farage and Reform, because I’m going to compare Reform’s manifesto promises with the records of Labour and Tories when in power. But here goes, anyway.

Are Labour against Marxism and socialism? Maybe. Before Blair, they used to be socialists. But today, they abhor real socialists like George Galloway or Jeremy Corbyn.

Opposing democracy? Check. They have imposed a re-organization of local government, that nobody outside the establishment blob wants. They have cancelled elections in the process, in some cases two years in a row. And they seek to impose a mayoral system, that is totally inappropriate for people in rural areas, without even an attempt at “consultation.” Meanwhile, they present this as “devolution,” whereas in reality it is centralization of power.

On top of all that, they eagerly support agendas being forced on us by the activist, unelected, unaccountable United Nations. Like “15-minute cities.” And they want to take us back into the EU.

They want the state to control the economy, too. With swingeing taxes and burgeoning regulations. And with Mad Miliband and his nett zero morons making energy prices higher than almost anywhere else in the world. Moreover, while they claim to despise “the rich,” everything they do increases the power of the politically rich, at everyone else’s expense.

Zero concern for rights and freedoms? Check. Indeed, they are putting in place, piece by piece, a plenitude of “final solutions” to kill our human rights and freedoms. Such as: Digital ID. A database they want to be a “single source of truth.” Using facial recognition cameras to construct a totalitarian “panopticon” to imprison and surveil us all. And abolishing jury trials.

Do they favour military escapades? You bet. Tony Blair lied to fabricate an excuse to start a war in Iraq. More recently, Labour have sought to re-position themselves as a pro-NATO party of national security. And Starmer is happy to use nuclear weapons. And didn’t say he wouldn’t use them pre-emptively.

Indoctrination and propaganda? Do they ever say anything that isn’t propaganda? And lying to and gaslighting the people are second nature to them. As Reform’s by-election candidate in Gorton and Denton, Matt Goodwin, can attest: [[2]].

As to scapegoating, Labour are past masters. I myself have been a victim of IR35 for a quarter of a century now. Labour have always hated people who want to be independent. And today, more and more groups of innocent, valuable people are being singled out for persecution. Car drivers. Pensioners. Farmers. Family businesses. Who will be next?

What about racism and anti-semitism? Labour claim to be against both. But historically, that claim cannot be sustained. Even one of their own former MPs, Chuka Umunna, has described them as “institutionally racist.” And there is a significant faction within the party that supports Palestinians against Jews. Moreover, their mad rush to take in immigrants, of any quality and at any cost, has led them to discriminate against the indigenous populations, the English, Scots, Welsh and Northern Irish, who are expected both to tolerate a hugely increased population density, and to pay for it all.

To sum up: Labour are a lot closer to being fascists than either Reform or Nigel Farage! If it behaves like a fascist, and talks like a fascist, then at least if you can believe Lisa Nandy, it probably is a fascist.

Are the Tories fascists?

And here’s the second fun bit. Same questions, but a slightly different target.

Are the Tories against Marxism and socialism? They have long claimed that they are. And yet, in practice they have maintained a cosy arrangement that has allowed Tories and Labour to alternate power, with the Tories usually in government about two-thirds of the time. They may disown the devil, yet they have danced with it for decades.

Do they oppose democracy? The Tories have never really respected the people they are charged to serve. This is because they are arrogant bastards, and they think they are élites who have a right to rule us. That they have managed to rule for as long as they have, is only because very many people have seen them as the lesser of two evils. But they are still evil.

Moreover, they changed the voting system so that, according to the Electoral Reform Society, “mayors with sweeping powers are now taking office with the backing of a small minority of voters.” Which is just how Labour got into power nationally in 2024.

More recently, where I live, the local Tories have fallen over themselves in their rush to get in on Labour’s centralizing schemes, and to keep themselves in unelected power in the process. It looks as if they are working together in tandem.

Do they want the state to control the economy? Not quite as much as Labour. But they had already raised taxes to record levels even before Labour got in. Moreover, for decades Tories and Labour have both kow-towed to bad policies being imposed by the UN and policed by the EU. Particularly on “climate change,” nett zero and air pollution. They have conjoined to de-industrialize Britain, and make us all unnecessarily poorer and colder.

Yet the Tories still want to make sure that big profits accrue to their cronies. And that they get a good cut for themselves. They tend to like billionaires, perhaps for their “generosity.” They favour multi-national companies and Big Business, but don’t care a damn about the “little people.” Their failure to repeal IR35 is evidence of this. As is the draconian way they closed down so many small businesses over COVID.

Rights and freedoms? It was the Tories that suppressed free speech with their “on-line safety bill,” and exposed us all to false accusations of “misinformation.” They stomped on the right to protest. They forced many people to take an untried COVID “vaccine,” whose side-effects can include death. They also promoted a “cashless society” and central bank digital currencies, with obvious intent to end financial privacy. And it is impossible to believe that Labour’s ever-increasing assaults on our rights and freedoms over the past year and a half were not planned by the Tories when they had power.

On the subject of war, I need give you only one example. Six weeks after the Ukraine war began, there was a situation where Putin was willing to negotiate, and Zelenskiy was in two minds. Boris Johnson was despatched to Kiev to “persuade” Zelenskiy to continue fighting, despite Russia’s overwhelming long-term superiority in resources. Despite academic waffles to the contrary, it looks as if Johnson did the dirty work for the Western military-industrial complex, and ensured that the war continued. He has blood on his hands.

Indoctrination and propaganda? Suffice it to say that “if a politician’s lips are moving, he or she is lying.” Oh, and as to mass ceremonies of affirmation and conformity, it was the Tories who instituted the Orwellian “one minute clap” for NHS and key workers during COVID.

And while not quite as quick as Labour at creating new groups of scapegoats, the Tories, through decades of much the same agendas as Labour, have victimized many innocent people, such as with green levies and anti-car policies.

For more than half a century, the Tories have repeatedly been labelled as racist by their opponents. And sexist, to boot. Some of these arrows have stuck, so that a perception of Tories as racists has become widespread. There have also been, over the decades, many incidents of anti-semitism shown by Tories, including Winston Churchill and Harold Macmillan.

All in all, the Tories are not far away from Labour in their level of fascism. Not really surprising, as despite their different rhetoric, there aren’t a lot of differences between Tories and Labour in their attitudes to the people they are supposed to serve. The Tories do, however, tend to be a little bit cleverer than Labour in the way they disguise things.

To sum up

I could carry on to test the Lib Dems and Greens for symptoms of fascism. But I have neither space here, nor time or energy today. So, I will finish simply by outlining my conclusions.

Whatever its detractors may say, Reform UK is not a fascist party. And on the evidence which I have examined, Nigel Farage does not behave like a fascist. Nor can he justly be accused of racism or anti-semitism.

In contrast, both Labour and the Tories have shown plenty of evidence of racist and anti-semitic tendencies in their pasts. And both of them include elements in their agendas which, even if not strictly Fascist, are nevertheless fascistic in tone. These include: Contempt for democracy. Ever increasing taxation and state control. Green and anti-car policies. Increasing violations of human rights and freedoms. And lack of respect for the individual human beings, whom they are supposed to serve.

Who’s a fascist?

Neil Lock is campaign manager for Reform UK Godalming and Ash branch.

Image credit on main page: Wikipedia

[[1]] https://www.itv.com/news/2025-12-05/timeline-of-allegations-of-racism-against-nigel-farage-and-his-responses

[[2]] https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/01/28/labour-gaslight-public-video-reform-matthew-goodwin/