Comment
HARRY COLE
Nigel Farage is coming back – and this time it could be a knockout blow for the Tories
Nigel’s pals hint that he might sit the next election out and wait for the Tories to implode
I HAVE seen the future of the right wing in Britain and not a single serving Tory minister was there.
Love him or hate him, Nigel Farage is a giant of British politics.
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Arguably his impact will be felt long after names such as David Cameron, George Osborne and Theresa May are mere answers in a pub quiz.
To use his usual bluster, without ever holding a seat in the mother of parliaments, Captain Nige basically steered the great ship Britain to a course of freedom like no other.
So when the Brexit stalwart turned 60 on Wednesday, it is worth paying attention to the guest list for his massive bash.
I gazed over a sea of oysters, tacos and frankly more than your fair share of billionaires — and I sensed a sea change.
The combined net worth of the craziest-dressed and coiffured in the room was, by my fag packet maths, about £4BILLION.
There were Ukip throwbacks, there were old boys from the City . . . and half of the TV schedule for anyone not on the BBC or Sky.
But there was also serious money from both sides of the Atlantic and some of Donald Trump’s most trusted advisers.
Ex-PM Liz Truss and her ever-loyal husband Hugh were politely entertaining overtures from well-oiled Sunday journalists.
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A smattering of more hardline Tory MPs, including David Davis, Andrea Jenkyns and Mark Francois turned up.
But professionally conflicted ministers were nowhere to be found.
Donald Trump won't abandon Nato or Ukraine, according to Nigel Farage
The Tory party was a mere footnote to the evening.
However, the next generation of Reform UK was on parade — despite the fact their leader’s partner was mysteriously absent.
Jim Davidson finally got another Big Break as the pinstriped compere, telling a joke about Joe Biden which if I recreated here would have me cancelled quicker than Truss fell.
The old-school comedy legend finally found a safe space in this tissue-wrapped woke world.
This was not a tough crowd as he tore into the Scottish First Minister who he would only refer to as Cat Stevens — geddit? — for wanting to arrest everyone in the room.
It was not a turn that would get an airing on telly these days, but you know what? No one cared.
While the current US President was the butt of the jokes, his likely successor actually turned up. Albeit in the form of a video message.
“I very much look forward to watching what your next move is going to be Nigel,” the ex/next President bellowed to the rammed Boisdale steakhouse booked out for the evening.
Knockout blow
“It’s going to be an interesting one. But you are not done yet and hopefully the best is yet to come.”
A message to send a chill down the spine of Downing Street.
Nigel’s pals hint that he might sit the next election out and wait for the Tories to implode before trying to reunite the Right from the smouldering ruin.
But I suspect he can’t quite help himself: He is itching to come back.
And he will have the firepower to do so if he wanted — if Wednesday night’s booze-up was anything to go by anyway.
“This seems like the perfect occasion to make an announcement,” said the birthday boy when he finally took to the stage.
“But I genuinely haven’t made up my mind.”
I smell BS.
Nigel is coming back whether the Tory party have woken up to the fact or not.
And this time it could be a knockout blow.
ANGELA RAYNER’S fate as deputy leader of the Labour Party hangs in the balance over her very curious tax affairs.
And that has seen her Shadow Cabinet rivals jostling for position should the opportunity arise.
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A spy tells me they overheard one very telegenic Labour frontbencher at a posh lunch in Mayfair telling TV’s Kay Burley he is ready to step up.
The Labour upstart denies all allegations . . . honest!
A thrilling grilling by readers
I MUST be the only voter in Britain to have spent some actual one-on-one time in recent weeks with both the PM and the bloke trying to replace him.
I’m keeping my powder dry . . . for now.
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But The Sun’s TV show Never Mind The Ballots only works because of all of you; our amazingly astute and – at times – very punchy readers who submitted hundreds and hundreds of spot-on questions.
Both Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer should be credited for submitting themselves to a grilling from Sun readers, and I’m told both came out of it cross with certain bits.
I must be doing something right . . . Literally millions of YouTube views later, I hope you now know each of them a bit better.
If you missed it however, both showdowns can be found here: youtube.com/@thesun.
THE race to be the next big boss in politics is heating up.
No, not PM, but the next Cabinet Secretary – even though there is no vacancy . . . yet.
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As recorded here, Labour are dead keen to get duff soft-Brexit architect Sir Olly Robbins into the gig.
But I hear the deep state is rather keen for the first woman in the grand role.
Step forward “outgoing” UK Ambassador Dame Karen Pierce.
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Last week I reported the race to succeed her in Washington is on, but could there be one last gig on the cards for her?
Her team was very tight-lipped when I put it to them.