By juxtaposing Labour’s record against Farage’s “fantasy economics,” Starmer implicitly asked voters whether they preferred balance sheets or mirages, writes Arnav Raje
Sir Keir Starmer took the stage yesterday, at Glass Futures on his trip to North West. He didn’t just deliver a speech – he answered Nigel Farage’s Tuesday presser with something closer to a right hook. By dubbing Farage “Liz Truss 2.0”, Starmer has tried to reclaim the narrative: this isn’t Farage’s sandbox, it’s British politics. Having been accused of being out of touch with “people who set alarms at 5 a.m.,” The Prime Minister snarled back, “I don’t need lectures from Nigel Farage on what it means to be working people” – reminding voters he grew up on their side of the tracks.
Farage’s London press conference had been a bold gambit in economic populism. His headline proposals – ending the two-child benefit cap, introducing a £5,000 transferable allowance for married couples, and raising tax slabs. He assured to show the funding model “in a year’s time” in the local governments Reform is in power. Also sticking to his classic far-right rhetoric, Farage took a dig at asylum hotels, and called for scrapping the “DEI agenda”. Starmer was quick to notice his proposals for cuts were the same logic that nearly capsized the markets under Liz Truss: promise headline-grabbing giveaways now, defer the reckoning, and hope that political momentum carries you through.
Starmer’s answer was twofold. First, the personal: he countered Farage’s suggestion that only an “insider” understands the 5 a.m. work-day grind by underlining his own roots. Second, the policy riposte: he pointed to Labour’s record since taking office—fastest GDP growth among G7 nations, four consecutive interest-rate cuts, three new trade deals, rescues for Scunthorpe Steel and JLR, and an unprecedented NHS cash injection. Those are not slogans but figures in the public accounts. By juxtaposing that record against Farage’s “fantasy economics,” Starmer implicitly asked voters whether they preferred balance sheets or mirages.
The skirmish has made clear that there is a battle for the “working-class mantle.” Farage has cast Reform as the true champion of Britain’s early-rising earners, claiming he has already “taken over” both the Conservative flank and the Labour fold. Starmer’s intervention suggests he felt Labour’s fortress under real threat – prompting him to do what the Conservatives repeatedly failed to do: defend their core voters. In effect, Starmer reminded the people present of Farage’s history : voting against sick pay and fire and rehire, and hailing Truss’ 2022 ‘mini-budget’ as the “best since 1986”.
Starmer’s intervention suggests he felt Labour’s fortress under real threat –
prompting him to do what the Conservatives repeatedly failed to do: defend their core voters
Farage is undeniably playing narrative politics. Yes, Reform enjoys a lead in the polls and has won 677 council seats – an unmistakable sign of momentum. But with almost four years until the next general election, it’s far from game’s end. His strategy hinges on crafting the perception of a formidable movement now, banking on Tory weakness to fill the same void when it’s time. The numbers though, cold as they always have been – tell a different story: Reform holds just five MPs against Labour’s 403, and those 677 seats sit within a total of 19,228 council seats nationwide. In other words, it isn’t even half-time yet. Farage’s narrative politics may win headlines and recruit disaffected Tory voters, but it remains to be seen whether it translates into governing authority. Declaring the Conservatives finished as Farage did, may thrill conference audiences but risks writing their obituary too soon. It also underscores his real aim: to position Reform as the inheritor of a fractured right, rather than to govern immediately.
Farage has basked in the national spotlight for months, amassing popularity and racking up wins. The post-election radio silence helped him, Labour indulging in it since they were in power and the Conservatives forgetting that they weren’t anymore. As the lone voice, Farage appeared untouchable – until today, when Starmer stepped in. Despite the bravado of Reform’s insurgency, Labour’s sheer size – its mass popularity, deep infrastructure and vote-bank consolidation still dwarfs Farage, underscores how small Reform remains. It also raises the obvious question: has Starmer’s heavyweight counterpunch knocked Farage out of contention, or will the leader of the party who has 5 MPs soar in the publicity received from being the focal point of the Prime Minister’s speech?
