What’s going on?
A few weeks ago, Nigel Farage was spotted in Lancashire, specifically, in Blackpool and Preston. His presence here worries me a lot.
It already felt as though he was getting too close to home as it was, given that Reform holds control over Lancashire County Council. I had first shared my concerns about the Reform party and my county in April 2025 before the local by-elections, and then after, at the beginning of May 2025. As a neurodivergent person, and a history and politics buff, I am good at recognising political patterns of behaviour. This is exactly why I wrote about this in the first place. Now, Farage has actually been in my home county, and that terrifies me. What was he doing here? Let’s talk about it.
My previous concerns
I have previously shown concern about the perceived rise of Reform in Lancashire. This was initially sparked by seeing a Reform building in my hometown after returning from university. This infuriated me as much as it terrified me, and galvanised me into action.
Following on from the results of the local by-elections, my concerns were unfortunately proven to be valid. So, I wrote a piece stating that I was right to be worried, in light of not only local results, but what results across the country could spell out for the UK as a whole. Given Reform’s policies, I worry that the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals will be eroded, as well as those of people of colour, immigrants, refugees, and Muslim people.
In my initial article, I stated that, ‘After the riots happened in the UK following the tragic murder of several young girls in Southport, I, like many others, was angry and upset.’ I also added that, ‘Some people online spread lies about this, claiming that the man was a Brown Muslim immigrant (the responses would have still been racist even so) but he was, in fact, Black with Christian parents, and he was from Wales, it turned out.’
The people making these accusations appeared to be supporters of Reform’s seemingly far-right policies. This indicates that people who support Reform may end up acting in a discriminatory way towards members of marginalised communities, as shown when Reform campaigners used racist slurs. This sets a dangerous precedent for vulnerable groups of people. This includes Lancashire, where 11% of the population are non-white. So, what exactly was Nigel Farage doing in Lancashire anyway?
Reform and Lancashire County Council
On June 12th 2025, Farage went to Preston to speak to the party’s new administration at Lancashire County Council. With the party winning more than the 43 seats required to form a majority, Reform UK is set to take control of Lancashire County Council.
Is this seriously what we’re about? What is happening to us? And what will happen to the 11% of the population in the county? What about the other minorities? As an LGBTQ+ person from Lancashire, I am concerned not only for the safety of others, but my own safety too, come the 2029 general election, especially.
Preston is close to my heart
I started college in September 2020. We had only recently come out of the pandemic, so I was only at college in person for half of the week. On those exciting days when I did go to college in person, it was in Preston. During our free periods, which we were supposed to be using to study, my friends and I would occasionally go into Preston, which was only a five-minute walk down the road.
Preston is where I began, and maintained, my closest friendships. It is where two of my relationships started. I also frequently met up with my now ex-boyfriend there during our respective gap years. It holds a lot of memories for me, both good and bad. It is a place where I fell in and out of love, where I struggled, and where I became more independent and confident. In short, Preston means a lot to me, and to see that Nigel Farage was there recently was both difficult and frustrating, hasn’t he done enough as it is?
Reform pub in Blackpool
The Talbot, originally the Talbot Conservative Club, has undergone a significant rebrand. This includes a paint job, being plastered with Reform logos, leaflets and more. It shut during the overhaul, but re-opened in May 2025. They were re-opened by two Reform supporters, Pete Flynn and Nick Lowe. They poured pints of ‘Remainer’s Tears’. Is this truly what Blackpool is about?
My connection to Blackpool
Both of my parents, and also my birth ‘father’, grew up in Blackpool and resided there for part of their adult lives. My brother lived there with my Mum and Dad until he was four, at which point they moved to where we live now. Our hometown is only a town over, all of my grandparents lived there, as well as some of my extended family. This means that I do also have a strong connection to Blackpool.
Whenever I am asked where I live, or where my hometown is, I tell them it’s near Blackpool. The fact that the first ever Reform-themed pub has popped up there is horrifying to me, especially considering how working-class Blackpool is; it makes it clearer than ever that Farage’s party tends to target primarily white, working-class communities, as shown by the ‘Reform bus’ during the general election.
It was almost like an omen. I believe that Farage’s presence in Lancashire is, sadly, a sign of things to come.
What could the future look like?
Well, there’s hope yet. Independent politician, Jeremy Corbyn, recently announced that he was teaming up with Labour politician Zarah Sultana to form a new political party. As a member of the Labour party for the past fourteen years, and one of its youngest members, Sultana has consistently called out her fellow party members, as well as opposing MPs. She frequently shared her left wing beliefs, just as Corbyn has across the years. This may provide hope to leftists, particularly those disillusioned with the state of British politics.
They promise to be led by the people, and will be running for election in 2029. Some claim that their new party will ‘divide the left’, but I personally disagree. I believe if we unite with similar political goals in mind, we can work together under this new party. It’s looking increasingly unlikely, considering their recent failures and problems, that Labour will be re-elected. It also appears unlikely that the Conservatives will take back power, given their arguably disastrous reign between 2010 and 2024. Given their popularity in the local by-elections, and their 4 million votes, it is possible that Reform will take power in 2029. Many of us do not want that.
The new party may just threaten that, or at the very least split votes enough that Reform do not win. We can only hope that this will be the case.
Concluding thoughts
Overall, as a left wing and marginalised individual, I feel very disappointed in both my county and my country. Reform’s popularity is rising by the day, or so it appears. This is concerning for many, and I worry that my own county will become an unsafe place for me, and the people I love, to live in.
We need to stand up to Reform. We need to let them know that their policies are not in line with our values here, or else we could be run by the far-right.
Is that seriously what we want? Because, if we do not act now, that will inevitably become reality.
