Mick Lynch torches the Telegraph over Reform UK drift – and the public agrees!

Long known as the “Torygraph” for its historic loyalty to the Conservative Party, the Telegraph is now accused of shifting its allegiance towards Reform UK and Nigel Farage.

Following Farage’s victory in Clacton in 2024 and the surge in coverage surrounding Reform, critics argued that broadcasters and newspapers had handed the party a level of visibility and legitimacy far beyond its parliamentary presence.

Des Freedman, Professor of Media and Communications at Goldsmiths, University of London, argued that the media’s “obsession with Farage” has “only served to normalise right-wing arguments on immigration and the economy and to further marginalise candidates with progressive ideas.”

This week, former RMT general secretary Mick Lynch delivered a blistering assessment of the Telegraph’s political trajectory directly to the newspaper itself. Known for his blunt, unflinching style and refusal to soften his language for establishment audiences, Lynch accused the paper of preparing to become an outright vehicle for Reform UK politics.

In an interview with the right-wing newspaper, Lynch said the Telegraph was “preparing to become fully signed-up affiliates of Reform.”

“I don’t trust Nigel Farage at all,” he said. “He will unleash a torrent of racism and division which will put our society and our country into the dark ages if he achieves power. The Telegraph seems to be preparing itself to become a fully signed up affiliate of Reform, and all the racism and disunity it will cause”

“What I see coming out of the Telegraph every day is making space for racism – and racism is in the eye of the beholder. You are on the way to aligning Reform, and my prediction is that [The Telegraph] will support Reform at the next election.” 

The clip quickly spread across social media, racking up hundreds of thousands of views, shares and comments, with many praising Lynch for articulating concerns they believe are ignored within mainstream political narrative

One user wrote: “Mick Lynch should be front and centre of any anti-Farage and anti-Reform campaign. He’s a powerful speaker, knowledgeable, well-prepared, and puts the fear of God into his opponents. I remember Tory ministers practically diving for the exits rather than debate him.”

Another commented: “Well said Mick Lynch. The Telegraph has decided to join the other rags in becoming enablers of neo-fascists in Reform UK. Shame on anyone who still works for them or reads their far-right propaganda.”

A further response read: “100%. He knows, as we do, that newspaper barons and their enablers only feign impartiality. Their agenda is dictated by the system that protects and enriches them.”