Government targets party’s ‘softness on standing up to Putin’ to show Reform is out of step with UK public
Labour is gearing up to intensify its criticism of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, targeting the party’s position on Russia. This strategic move comes after polling and focus groups revealed that the British public overwhelmingly supports Ukraine and opposes Vladimir Putin. A cabinet source disclosed that Labour plans to “take the fight” to Reform on issues related to the Ukraine war and the National Health Service (NHS), recognising the party’s perceived “softness” on confronting Putin.
Since the recent election, all major parties have grappled with how to counter the momentum behind Nigel Farage’s Reform UK. The party has often tied with or narrowly surpassed Labour and the Conservatives in opinion polls. However, in the past week, Labour and the Scottish National Party (SNP) have escalated their criticism of Farage, particularly over his past statements on Russia. Farage had previously claimed that Ukraine was provoked into war and had expressed admiration for Putin in 2014.
Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, accused Farage of “fawning over Putin” in a rare direct attack this week. The SNP’s Westminster leader, Stephen Flynn, labeled Reform MPs as “Putin’s poodles” after many failed to attend significant parliamentary debates on defence and security. Farage responded by suggesting that the prime minister appeared “terribly upset” and “scared” of him.
Meanwhile, John Swinney, the SNP leader, described Farage as an “accomplice to the Russian agenda and an apologist for the Russian agenda.” Defence and security have become top priorities for the nation, and polling indicates that the UK public remains firmly supportive of Ukraine and opposed to Russia. This stance persists despite Donald Trump’s efforts to broker a deal with Putin to end the war and his critical remarks about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Luke Tryl, the executive director of the thinktank More in Common, noted that Reform is out of step with public opinion on Ukraine and Russia. “Seven out of 10 Brits say it is important to the UK that Ukraine wins the war,” Tryl said. He added that Reform’s rise in the polls seemed unstoppable until Farage’s comments about Putin and Ukraine surfaced.
However, recent polls show a slight dip in Reform’s popularity, which Tryl attributes to the uncertainty of global events rather than specific concerns about the party’s position on Russia. Some Reform insiders acknowledge that Russia is a weak point for the party, describing it as a “chink in the armour.” One party source suggested that Reform might have performed better in the last election had Farage not claimed that NATO and the EU’s eastward expansion provided Putin with a pretext for war.
