Nigel Farage told News Agency that large-scale migration has fundamentally reshaped Britain’s national character. The Reform UK leader said the country’s political system is “completely broken” in the wake of Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s resignation, and urged a fresh general election, insisting his party has “every chance of winning.”
In an exclusive interview this week at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship conference in London — a gathering centered on culture, Western civilization and Judeo-Christian values — Farage argued that Starmer’s collapse was not simply a standalone political setback, but another tremor from the Brexit upheaval that transformed British politics nearly a decade ago.
“Ten years ago yesterday, we had a political earthquake in Britain. It was called Brexit,” Farage said. “And the two old parties have never quite adapted to it.”
Nigel Farage being interviewed by Baroness Philippa Stroud at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship conference in London. (Alliance for Responsible Citizenship)
Farage, a leading voice in the Brexit campaign and now the head of Reform UK, has repeatedly claimed that Britain’s governing class failed to follow through on public demands for stronger border control and greater national independence.
Starmer announced his resignation on Monday, setting Britain on course for its seventh prime minister in 10 years. Reuters reported on June 24 that Andy Burnham was seen as a likely contender to replace him, with Labour’s leadership race expected to open July 9.
Farage said Starmer’s position had effectively been lost during local elections earlier this year, when Reform UK posted major gains across former Labour heartlands. He argued those voters were largely the same bloc that drove Brexit, with frustration over immigration still at the center of their discontent.
“All of those were Brexit voters,” Farage said. “Starmer wants to take us closer back to the EU. But one of the reasons we voted Brexit was immigration and border controls. So the boats certainly did him harm.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announces the timeline for his resignation outside 10 Downing Street in London on June 22, 2026, following Andy Burnham’s victory in the Makerfield by-election. (Jack Taylor/Reuters)
He said Starmer’s reported strained relationship with President Donald Trump was not the direct cause of his resignation, but added that it contributed to the image of a leader who had lost control.
“I don’t think the breakdown of his relationship with Donald Trump impacted directly,” Farage said, “but it was part of a picture of a prime minister who’d lost control.”
Farage then delivered one of his sharpest assessments of Britain’s political instability.
“And can you believe it, but when Mr. Burnham becomes our next prime minister, it’ll be our sixth prime minister in seven years,” he said. “So our political system is completely broken.”
He argued that Burnham, if he entered Downing Street through a Labour leadership contest rather than a national election, would lack a public mandate. “I don’t even know what his policies are. Literally, I don’t,” he said.
“So I think for all of those reasons, there ought to be a general election and a fresh mandate,” he added, “and I certainly think Reform would have every chance of winning. Yes, I do.”
Nigel Farage campaigns with then-President Donald Trump in Goodyear, Ariz., during a 2020 presidential election rally. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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Farage also used the interview to cast Britain’s political turmoil as part of a broader Western crisis over borders, national identity and traditional values. He delivered a warning for Americans, saying the U.S. should avoid what he described as mistakes Britain made in diversity policies, policing and justice and immigration.
“Mass migration has changed this country, certainly in many of our cities, literally beyond recognition,” he said. “We’ve not been selective about who’s been able to come into the country. That is a major contributory factor.”
“I think the pendulum has swung so far in the DEI direction,” he said, “and we finished up, no doubt, in this country, with two-tier policing, with two-tier justice.”
“My message to Americans is that political change is coming,” he said. “All of this nonsense will get reversed.”
“But also, we’ve just lost our way,” he continued. “Our leaders do not want to stand up and defend any sense of traditional values.”
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage speaks with media outside Havering Town Hall following the 2026 local election results on May 8, 2026 in Romford, England. Voters went to the polls in local elections across England. Results counted overnight show widespread losses for the Labour Party. Several key Labour councils have surrendered their majority as Farage’s Reform UK made significant gains. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
Asked about the relationship with the United States, Farage said he believes Britain should move closer to America, particularly on trade and financial services.
“My whole adult life has been closely intertwined with the United States of America,” he said, noting that his first job in 1982 was with the Wall Street firm Drexel Burnham Lambert.
“I think I can get on well with American leaders,” he said. “I hope and believe they can get on well with me.”
Farage said the two countries remain bound by investment, language and culture.
People carry flags and banners during an anti-immigration protest in Maidstone, Kent, United Kingdom, on Aug. 16, 2025. (Stuart Brock/Anadolu)
“You are the biggest foreign investor in Britain, and we’re still just about the biggest foreign investor in America,” he said. “And we share so much, not just language, but culture and so much else.”
“I really believe that a closer relationship with America, particularly breaking down some of the trade barriers in financial services, as an example, would be really good for both of us,” he said.
Farage also dismissed any serious push to take Britain back into the European Union.
“The price of going back into Europe would be giving up the currency, paying a massive membership fee every year,” he said. “So no, there is no demand for it, other than those stuck in the Westminster bubble who seem to be obsessed by it.”
Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform UK party, celebrates the victory of Sarah Pochin in the Runcorn and Helsby by-election at the DCBL Stadium in Widnes, England, on May 2, 2025. (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)
As America approaches its 250th anniversary, Farage framed the American Revolution as a predecessor to the Brexit movement he championed.
“America was the first Brexit,” he said. “You struck out on your own, the first Brexit, and you became the most successful country in the world.”





