Why is Nigel Farage the only politician currently making a big impact on public opinion?

Political expert Dr Steve McCabe with analysis on the election.

Transcript

00:00Well, Nigel Farage is an interesting character.

00:03He's a politician of a different sort of variety, and he is a sort of avowed populist.

00:10Why do I say that?

00:11He says things that people sort of like to hear.

00:14He offers simple solutions, and dare I say, we look at what has happened in the recent

00:19days in Europe, we see the rise of right-wing politicians.

00:22Nigel Farage, he may not sort of claim to be, but he is of the sort of the right in

00:28so far as he created the sort of the avalanche of sort of consequences that flowed from sort

00:34of the referendum.

00:35Sunak and Starmer both suffer with the perception by some of being dull.

00:41Is it just that they're playing it safe to not upset anyone?

00:44For sure.

00:45They are not the Boris Johnsons, because, of course, he was the sort of the consummate

00:49performer who could turn it on and claim to be a man of the people.

00:53And dare I say it, Nigel Farage is a man of the people.

00:56I would also add, of course, your viewers may be so aware of research that's come out

01:00for the National Centre for Social Research.

01:03This is John Kearse's research centre at Stratford University, and what that is demonstrating

01:08that a sort of majority of the polls or the people they polled for this survey do not

01:13trust politicians.

01:14Nigel Farage is able to say things and gain that trust because, of course, he's saying

01:18things which, of course, are sort of his opinion.

01:22People would say these populists, some would call them far-right parties, are making big

01:25games across Europe.

01:27Is that something that perhaps is going to happen in the UK as well?

01:30In five years' time, we sort of go five years to the next election, is that people may become

01:35disillusioned with the sort of Labour Party, the Starmer.

01:38They may not deliver what they promise, and the people may not feel that they're that

01:42much better off under them.

01:43Who knows?

01:44And a great possibility is a very resurgent sort of Conservative Party, which perhaps

01:49maybe done some sort of deal with sort of the Reform Party or something like that.

01:53They may then be tempted to sort of switch back to Conservatives, and then we'd get a

01:57sort of very much more right-wing party in government.