Nigel Farage has never held a government office in the UK. As leader of the anti-immigration Reform UK party, he is only responsible for eight members of parliament. In the eyes of voters, he has some of the lowest approval ratings among politicians.

However, Farage's emerging party won over 1,400 of the 5,000 seats in the local elections in May.

Meanwhile, the ruling Labor Party of Prime Minister Keir Starmer secured just over 1,000 seats, losing over 1,200 seats it previously held. The Conservative Party, which had traditionally alternated power with Labor to dominate British politics, also won only over 800 seats, losing over 400 seats compared to before the election.

In this election, voters chose politicians to represent them locally. The election results sent an alarming message to the ruling Labor Party about the level of satisfaction among British voters with their governance, according to Chandelis Duster, an NPR analyst.

A decade after Farage helped drive Brexit, the 62-year-old former businessman is poised to disrupt the British political order again. "If Starmer goes, that's the third prime minister I've brought down," Farage told an aide after seeing the May election results.

Prime Minister Starmer ultimately resigned on 22/6. The most likely successor for prime minister is currently former Manchester mayor Andy Burnham. Over the past seven years, the UK has had six prime ministers: David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak, and Starmer.

The UK was once a nation that prided itself on political stability. From 1945 to 2016, Britain had only 13 prime ministers, and power continuously alternated between the Labor and Conservative parties. Now, the average rate of prime ministerial change in the UK is once every 14 months.

Currently, the UK has five or six major political parties, not to mention nationalist parties holding power in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Reform UK has led polls with nearly 30% support over the past year, marking the first time since World War I that a party other than the Conservatives or Labor has led for such an extended period.

Starmer was elected two years ago with a promise to end the continuous turbulence of British politics. However, his tenure saw approval ratings decline, and Labor's core voters turned to other parties, including Reform UK on the right and the Green Party on the left.

"Never have the far-right and left parties been so strong, and the centrist parties so weak. This situation will not disappear soon," observed Vernon Bogdanor, a political science professor who has written about British politics since the 1970s.

The tenure of recent British prime ministers. Graphics: WSJ

British politics has become volatile and fragmented, a consequence of many issues, according to Max Colchester, a WSJ analyst.

The 2008 financial crisis ended a long period of rapid growth, and subsequent austerity policies exacerbated the recession. Brexit caused more years of uncertainty and poor investment. This was followed by the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia's war in Ukraine, which caused inflation to soar. Alongside these, a series of political scandals erupted, including noisy parties on Downing Street during pandemic lockdowns.

As a result, food prices rose, while wages remained largely stagnant. With an aging population increasing costs from healthcare to welfare, the tax burden on British citizens is at its highest level since World War II, according to David Luhnow, a WSJ analyst.

The number of immigrants surged during Conservative rule, even after many Britons voted for Brexit partly to curb the influx of asylum seekers. This is considered one reason Starmer won a landslide victory over his opponent Rishi Sunak of the Conservative Party in 2024, bringing Labor back to power after over a decade.

One of Labor's first moves upon taking power was to raise taxes, despite pre-election promises not to. This further damaged the British economy.

Public services have not seen significant improvement, with 7 million people currently on waiting lists for routine medical care.

"People are fed up," shared Ros Connors, head of a local community radio station in Basildon, eastern England, as she heard complaints from listeners about everything, from the cost of living to immigration.

The fragmentation of British politics stems from new divisions over globalization, immigration, and social issues. These are gradually replacing the traditional divide between the working class supporting Labor and the middle and wealthy classes leaning towards the Conservatives. These changes have also created conditions for populist movements to rise, including Farage's Reform UK.

Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage in Walton-on-the-Naze, UK, on 7/5. Photo: AFP

James Orr, head of policy for Reform UK, believes the traditional left-right political division is outdated. He suggests that British society is now divided between those who benefit from globalization and those who feel left behind by changes in trade, technology, and immigration.

To attract these voters, Reform UK pursues a mix of left-wing and right-wing policies: tightening immigration, reducing taxes for the wealthy, but still protecting pensions and the public healthcare system.

Many British voters today are more concerned with domestic issues like immigration, taxes, and quality of life than international crises such as Ukraine or Iran, according to Orr.

A survey by the National Centre for Social Research shows that support for immigration has sharply declined, trust in government has weakened, while many Britons desire tax and spending cuts.

In response to this shift, both Reform UK and the Labor Party have adjusted their messages to appeal to communities that feel overlooked, focusing more on local issues and people's daily lives.

Burnham believes his Labor Party has "lost the ability to understand the aspirations of the working class" and needs to stand up for people "who have felt neglected for the past 25 years."

Blackpool, on the northwest coast of England, illustrates changing political stances. The famous resort town enthusiastically supported Brexit and previously voted for the Conservative Party under Boris Johnson. They switched to voting Labor in the recent election, but few expect the region to do so again in the next election.

Peter Flynn, a 54-year-old local electrician and former Conservative voter, likened the rise of Reform UK to the Peasants' Revolt of 1381, when a group of disgruntled people stormed the Tower of London.

"That is exactly what is happening now. Ordinary people are truly rising up and taking action," he stated.

Pete Flynn sits in the Talbot pub in Blackpool, northwest England. Photo: WSJ

Flynn and a business partner bought the Talbot, a Conservative social club, and renovated it last year. The two-story building is now repainted in Reform UK's distinctive teal color. Inside, they also display leaflets featuring Farage with the slogan "Reform needs you."

He believes it is time for Britons to stop blindly voting for the two main parties.

In the local elections in May, Reform UK gained control of Essex County Council for the first time in 25 years. The party is reviewing the council's planned spending on climate policies. They also promised to cut wasteful local government spending to ensure no tax increases for residents.

Outside the Basildon council office in Essex, 70-year-old stallholder Tony Hall shared that he would give Reform UK a chance.

"Everything has changed so quickly," he said.

Thanh Tam (According to WSJ, NPR, Guardian)