Disgraced former Reform UK Wales leader Nathan Gill was today sentenced at the Old Bailey to ten and a half years years in prison, after admitting eight counts of bribery linked to a covert Russian influence operation inside the European Parliament. Once viewed as a rising figure on the British populist right, Gill pleaded guilty […]
Matthew Goodwin and Reform UK’s push into British campuses
Reform UK’s decision to appoint political scientist Matthew Goodwin as Honorary President of its newly launched student organisation, Students4Reform, marks a significant moment in the party’s evolution. Announced last week on Goodwin’s own social media and in subsequent press coverage, the move is more than symbolic. It signals Reform’s intent to anchor its youth wing […]
Respectability, ideology and networks – why Farage’s new adviser matters
Dr James Orr, a theologian and philosopher of religion at the University of Cambridge was last month appointed senior adviser to Nigel Farage and the Reform Party. Why does this matter? James Orr first came to prominence as a cultural conservative defending traditionalist values in debates over identity, nationalism, and religion, and later became one […]
Farage, Reform and the ‘Russia question’ that won’t go away
In the wake of Nathan Gill’s guilty verdict on multiple counts of bribery for taking payments in exchange for pro-Kremlin messaging, attention inevitably turns to Nigel Farage and Reform UK. For reasons both historic and structural, the case serves as a spotlight on the deeper question: how far have Russian influence operations penetrated British politics, […]
Reform’s Russian ‘asset’ – the Kremlin shadow over Nigel Farage
On 26 September, former Welsh Brexit Party MEP and Reform UK official Nathan Gill pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to eight counts of bribery for accepting payments for making pro-Russian statements in the European Parliament both on television and in public forums. He faces sentencing in November, and is widely expected to go to […]
The curious case of Joseph Moulton and Flag Force UK
When a 22-year-old presents himself as a seasoned business consultant with international defence sector links, eyebrows are bound to rise. That is precisely the case with Joseph Moulton, the frontman of the UK’s flag-waving initiative known as Flag Force UK. While the campaign has been marketed as a grass roots patriotic movement, investigations suggest that […]
The bishop who is the new link between Catholic radicals and far right
Although his name is not well known outside traditionalist Catholic circles, Bishop Paul Morgan has come to occupy a pivotal position acting as a bridge between radicalised Catholic splinter groups and the broader ecosystem of far-right politics. Consecrated as a bishop by the holocaust-denying Bishop Richard Williamson, Morgan has quietly become one of the Catholic […]
Germany bans far-right ‘Kingdom of Germany’ group
The German government has officially banned the far-right group ‘Kingdom of Germany’ (Königreich Deutschland, KRD), some of whose members were arrested for involvement in a suspected coup plot in 2022. The ban marks a significant step in Germany’s ongoing efforts to combat extremist threats to the democratic order. It was accompanied by a series of […]
Traditional Britain Group – secrecy, elitism, and the far right’s academic mask
On Saturday May 10, 2025, the Traditional Britain Group will host a luncheon in London to replace its annual black-tie dinner. A veneer of cultural refinement will be retained but we may rest assured that the hard-right ideology has not changed. Searchlight previews the event and looks at the background of this far-right organisation What […]
Farage, Reform UK, and the Shadow of the Kremlin
As Reform UK rides a surprising wave of electoral support across parts of England, the party’s populist rhetoric and its leader’s controversial foreign policy stances deserve renewed scrutiny. Nigel Farage, the face of Reform and the prime political figure synonymous with Brexit, has long portrayed himself as a crusader against establishment politics. But his pronouncements […]
Behind the Leeds crossbow attack: Lone-actor extremism and online radicalization
The recent crossbow attack in Leeds has attracted national attention not only because of its shocking nature but also because of the ideological motivations behind it. Owen Lawrence, the alleged perpetrator, was not on the radar of security services, yet he had a disturbing history of online extremism, misogyny, and violent intent. This case illustrates […]