Brown’s account of Farage’s campaign stops borders on the reverential. Even anonymous praise from a party candidate, “he’s going to change everything for the better,” is relayed without challenge.
You could be forgiven for thinking very little was happening in the world if you relied on the Daily Express for your news. At a moment when Donald Trump is issuing apocalyptic threats, the paper’s political editor, Martyn Brown, chose instead to spend his time trailing Nigel Farage on the campaign circuit.
Brown’s piece, tucked safely behind a paywall, reads like an exercise in hero worship rather than journalism. A day with Farage, we are told, is an “intoxicating assault on the senses,” so demanding, apparently, that even astronauts aboard the Artemis II Moon mission, might struggle to keep up. Farage, naturally, takes it all in his stride.
Norfolk, the location of their day together, is introduced via a roll call of national icons, from Horatio Nelson to Liz Truss, yes really. The prosperous rural region of eastern England is among the areas the Reform UK leader intends to supplant the Tories.
Yet what follows is not analysis of such political claims, but a soft-focus travelogue straining for wit. The private jet, the “banter,” the “close-knit and loyal advisers,” are presented, not just uncritically, but as if they constitute evidence of Farage’s greatness.
Brown’s account of Farage’s campaign stops borders on the reverential. The Reform leader moves from candidates to donors to supporters, pint in hand, delivering rallying cries and posing for photos. Even anonymous praise from a party candidate, “he’s going to change everything for the better,” is relayed without challenge.
What is missing is as notable as what is included. There is no interrogation of Reform’s policies, no scrutiny of Farage’s claims, no attempt to situate the campaign within the broader political or economic context. At a time of genuine global instability, the Express opts not merely for domestic focus, but for unfiltered adulation of a single political figure.
One suspects Martyn Brown may have his eye on Ed Sumner’s role as Reform’s head of communications.
Left Foot Forward doesn't have the backing of big business or billionaires. We rely on the kind and generous support of ordinary people like you.
You can support hard-hitting journalism that holds the right to account, provides a forum for debate among progressives, and covers the stories the rest of the media ignore. Donate today.