A hard-right Trump ally seeks liftoff in forgotten Britain

Reform UK, led by Trump ally Nigel Farage, is projected to make sweeping gains in thousands of local municipal races across Britain. Francesca Jones for NBC News; Ben Birchall/PA via AlamyUnited KingdomA hard-right Trump ally seeks liftoff in forgotten BritainNigel Farage, a friend of President Donald Trump’s and leader of Reform UK, is hoping to see Keir Starmer's Labour "smashed to smithereens" in elections held across Britain Thursday. Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00ShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 6, 2026, 12:44 PM EDTBy Alexander SmithMERTHYR TYDFIL, Wales — A clamor of stage smoke, campaign placards and pounding music. It’s the kind of rally energy that once greeted politicians from Britain’s left-wing Labour Party here in its ancestral heartlands, where it dominated politics for more than a century.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Instead, out stepped the face of the mainstreamed hard right, grinning in light blue pants and a sports jacket.“Let’s start a political revolution here in Merthyr!” Nigel Farage told the crowd Tuesday night, standing on a pop-up stage in a shopping mall parking lot, beneath gray skies and green hills. “Let’s make history!” he bellowed, later describing an “invasion” of undocumented immigrants and drawing one shout of “Get them out!” from the crowd.This friend of President Donald Trump’s and leader of Reform UK told the 700-strong crowd that he wanted to see Labour “smashed to smithereens” in elections held across Britain on Thursday. Polls suggest Farage may get his wish.Reform UK supporters turn out for a rally in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, on Tuesday.Finnbarr Webster / Getty ImagesReform is projected to make sweeping gains in thousands of local municipal races in England, as well as in elections for the devolved parliaments in Wales and Scotland — regional legislatures with powers over health, education and transport. The result will n...