Nigel Farage launches The Brexit Party in Coventry

Nigel Farage, former leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) and a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) launched The Brexit Party in Coventry on Friday 12 April.

He is the current leader of the party, which was formed in January 2019. It was launched at B.G. Penny Co Ltd on the Three Spires Industrial Estate in Longford.

Starting the launch, Mr Farage said that “politics is broken” and “the fightback begins here in Coventry”. He expressed his anger towards the repeated delay of Brexit described many MPs as “incompetent”.

“We are lions led by donkeys,” he announced, and declared that The Brexit Party was a “responsible, competent, respectable vehicle” that will fight for “a revolution in British democracy”.

Mr Farage then introduced party candidates for the European elections, for which polling begins on 23 May and ends three days later.

One of the candidates was Annunziata Rees-Mogg, a freelance journalist and sister of Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg. She stated that the Conservative Party “has not carried out the will of the people”.

When answering questions from the floor, Mr Farage explained that he left UKIP due to its extremism and that Brexit was beyond a European issue, but instead “a state of mind, a battle between the people and politicians”.

The fightback begins here in Coventry

– Nigel Farage

He said he chose the Midlands for the launch as “it’s in the heart of England”. More rallies by The Brexit Party are set to take place across other regions.

One was held in Birmingham on Saturday 13 April, where Mr Farage arrived in a bright blue “Brexit bus” and met traders and shoppers at the Bullring Indoor Markets in the city centre.

Friday’s launch was criticised by Coventry North East MP Colleen Fletcher, who said: “Nigel Farage has spent his political life stirring up division and anti-immigration sentiment; he is not welcome in Coventry, our City of Peace and Reconciliation.

“The politics of UKIP and no doubt The Brexit Party thrives on exploiting tensions in our communities, instead we should be trying to unite our communities who have been divided by Brexit.”

In 2016, 59.2% of Coventry North East voted for Brexit. According to a recent survey by Best for Britain,  those in the area who want to leave the EU has since decreased to 49.3% since.

Ms Fletcher accepted that the constituency voted to Leave. She added: “I will not however vote for a No Deal or Hard Brexit. This would lead to job losses, higher food prices and pose a threat to Coventry’s economy.”

Mr Farage responded that Ms Fletcher was “not welcoming freedom of speech”.

He is not welcome in Coventry, our City of Peace and Reconciliation

– Colleen Fletcher MP

A demonstration led by advocacy group Stand Up To Racism was also planned for the launch, to “send him a clear message that he isn’t welcome in our great city”.

Commenting on the poll, Warwick Business School (WBS) Professor Hugh Wilson told Coventry Telegraph that a second referendum would favour Remain.

“Delaying Brexit until October doesn’t solve the core problem that MPs need to finding something the majority can agree on,” he said.

Having analysed “three years of inconclusive data” regarding the polls, he stated: “We can now say those who prefer to remain in the EU clearly outnumber those who wish to leave…the 48 per cent has become the 53.6 per cent.

“Of the 17.4 million who voted for Brexit, only 13.5 million intend to repeat their vote. Many who voted Leave in the referendum now think very differently about the likely economic impact of Brexit.”

He attributed the change to new attitudes towards immigration and demographics, as “455,000 remain-dominated young people reach voting age” every year.