How Farage's fiery speech signals a seismic shift in UK politics - and the end for Starmer

Reform became the official party of the working classes this week and Nigel Farage made it clear nothing and no-one was going to stop it storming to victory at the next election.

Farage came onto the stage at the party's London press conference like a slavering hound that scented blood and was up for the kill. Teeth bared, he came out ready to rip into the political flesh of the flailing Kier Starmer and his collapsing party - and by God, he did.

First, he slated Starmer himself as a coward running scared of Reform and then accused him of believing in nothing - truths that resonated with every Labour voter in Britain who had put their trust in the man who had promised them everything - but delivered beggar all.

He then tore into Rachel Reeves, saying he'd never encountered anyone so hopelessly out of her depth in his professional or political life.

But like a predator who hadn't feasted on enough blood, he then screamed that the Tories were finished too and mocked Rober Jenrick for getting his teeth fixed, taking Ozempic and buying a new Savile

Row suit to take on Kemi Badenoch for the leadership saying his shiny new teeth wouldn't be enough to save the Tories from oblivion. "It's over, it's done. They're finished" he shouted triumphantly." And watching him I couldn't help thinking he was right. "People used to say a vote for Reform was a wasted vote that wouldn't keep Labour out. Now a Tory vote is a wasted vote."

Watching Farage, it was clear there has been a tectonic shift in this country's political plates, and Nigel Farage and Reform are at the heart of it.

A year ago the elites sneered voting for Farage was merely a protest vote. Not anymore.

Today, those elites are running around like headless chickens, finally realising that he has tapped into the zeitgeist, and people from every creed, every class, every political party, and every walk of life are flocking to Reform and now see him as a serious contender for the throne.

Hell, he already looks like a Prime Minister. And if confidence and courage are the key to success then Farage has both in spades - something both the Labour and Tory leaders are pitifully lacking.

Reform has soared to more than 30% in the polls leaving the newly elected Labour Government for dust in its exultant wake. As for the Tories - they're not even in the race any more.

And Farage now has his tanks prominently parked in Labour heartlands.

In 2019 Boris showed you can win an election by conquering the Red Wall. Now, the Red Wall is Reform's Kingdom, as are huge swathes of this country that was once the territory of old Labour but is now where Reform resides.

And why? Because in just 11 months Starmer has smashed the foundations and the ethos of a party that has taken more than a century to build. Throughout his entire leadership, he has spat in the faces of the working classes - the pensioners, the farmers, the fishermen, Waspi women, students, the disabled - for the simple reason he doesn't care about them and he doesn't understand them.

Starmer isn't in touch with the working classes any more (if he ever was). And his Labour party is now an elitist one run by a hopelessly incompetent leader who'd rather make his name striding the world stage and looking like a statesman than actually taking care of the working people he was elected to serve.

Remember he was once asked by the execrable Emily Maitlis whether he preferred Davos or Westminster and his immediate response was Davos. And we can see that now in everything he does.

What happens in Westminster and the people it serves are of no interest to him.

And its thanks to him the Labour party is collapsing faster than could ever have been imagined. Just as Reform is rising faster than could ever have been imagined.

That's because when working people, traditionally labour voters, feel ignored, belittled and abandoned by a party both culturally and economically they look to the party that says "we get you. And we understand your issues." Right now that party is Reform.

And the Red Wall and huge swathes of this country just don't trust the Labour Party with the issues that affect them any more.

Remember how Brexit unleashed a tsunami of populist power and energy?

Well that never went away and not only has Reform tapped into it - its run with it and has scooped up all the people who feel disaffected, ignored, patronised and shafted by this Government.

Labour is no longer in touch with working people. It's not even a mistake, it doesn't actually want to be. It's now an elitist party that has nothing in common with its fabled ancestors nor with the noble goals of those ancestors.

And Starmer - thanks to his incompetence, his disinterest in working people and his total lack of political nous - is leading the Labour party into extinction... right where it now belongs.