Keir Starmer, the Labour Party leader, is currently in poll position to become the UK Prime Minister after the July 4 elections. While PM Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party faces an uphill battle to retain power, the return of Nigel Farage to front-line politics has only added to his woes. Leading the right-wing Reform UK, the pro-Brexit campaigner has been buoyed by a strong presence on TikTok.
The 60-year-old leader has become an unlikely breakout star on the app, with a five-second clip of him lip-synching Eminem’s “Guess Who’s Back?” pulling in over eight million views.
Nigel Farage, the leader of the Reform UK (formerly the Brexit Party), taunts the British PM Rishi Sunak with Eminem’s “Without Me”. pic.twitter.com/Ym3uX0G2Vu
— The Eminem Bible (@Shadyind) June 15, 2024
Mr Farage’s TikTok account has twice the followers as Labour, the Conservatives, and the Liberal Democrats combined. The Reform UK’s TikTok presence stands out among political parties. With a following of 1,97,000, they far surpass their closest competitor, the Green Party.
The Tories, Labour, and the Lib Dems did not even have official channels on the app until recently, with parody accounts the first to surface when users searched for the big three. By establishing a presence on TikTok, Mr Farage and Reform UK tapped into a younger demographic, setting themselves apart from other political parties.
The Conservatives top-performing clip, “this will change lives,” features British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promoting his national service policy, It has 4.2 million views. However, Labour’s 11-second response, a clever takedown using Cilla Black’s “Surprise, Surprise,” surpassed it with 5.1 million views.
???? NEW: Rishi Sunak has posted his first TikTok video pic.twitter.com/P0cAg0c8PW
— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) May 26, 2024
Nigel Farage’s success on TikTok comes courtesy of 23-year-old Jack Anderton, a self-described “concerned citizen” and right-wing Zoomer. “Zoomer” refers to a member of Generation Z, specifically someone born between 1997 and 2012.
Mr Anderton, a contractor for Farage, has been instrumental in creating content that resonates with a younger voter, as per Politico. His views align with Farage’s, and he has expressed concerns about immigration and Britain’s future. Mr Anderton represents the growing phenomenon of the “Zoomer Right,” a Gen Z conservative movement gaining traction across Europe. Polling shows a large proportion of 18-24-year-olds plan to vote for Reform UK than 25-29-year-olds.
Reform UK’s emergence on TikTok has surprised even party insiders. Initially, their views were modest, but as the party grew nationwide, their TikTok views “rocketed way ahead of any other platform,” says Matt Stevens, Reform’s press officer.
This surge in popularity has been a pleasant surprise, given TikTok’s predominantly young demographic. Mr Stevens believes this age group is “crying out for change” after years of Conservative rule, making them a key audience for Reform’s message.