Alastair Campbell has revealed why he thinks Nigel Farage’s Brexit legacy is the best way to stop Reform UK’s viral poll ratings.
The former spin doctor for Tony Blair has said the most effective way to challenge Nigel Farage’s growing influence is to take him on over Brexit.
Speaking on The Rest is Politics podcast with Rory Stewart, Campbell said the “obvious approach” is also the best: “Go after him for the consequences of Brexit”.
Campbell pointed to French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent visit to the UK as a moment of clarity.
He argued Macron didn’t hold back, stating that record numbers of small boat crossings were evidence Brexit hadn’t delivered tighter borders.
Macron bluntly said the British people had been “sold a lie,” he claimed.
Campbell noted that Keir Starmer looked “a bit uncomfortable” during Macron’s remarks, joking that the Labour leader was probably thinking “‘oh Emmanuel don’t go on about Brexit too much, I don’t want to talk about that’’’.
But rather than shy away, Campbell suggested the PM should have seized the moment.
He said it would’ve been powerful if Starmer had said: “‘While I’m sorting this [Brexit] out, there’s Nigel Farage out on a boat as we speak with his friends from GB News because he’s trying to exploit […] rather than address the problem.’”
Campbell laid out the attack line he believes would resonate most: “This guy’s one achievement in his entire career is Brexit and it has done the country a lot of harm which we’re now trying to fix… But for heaven’s sake, do not give the whole country to a guy whose one big achievement has been such a disaster.”
He says it is a more effective approach than other criticisms, such as claims he wants to privatise the NHS or be “pals” with Russia.