Disillusioned by mainstream parties, Brits turning to “popular front” of far right groups
4442 Mins Read
More than two-thirds of the British public feel they are not represented by the main political parties, according to new analysis that warns the breakdown in trust is feeding a widening “popular front” of far-right groups.
A survey of UK attitudes, commissioned by anti-fascist group Hope not Hate, found that 68% of people felt there was not a political party that represented them, up from 61% when the same question was posed last July.
Other findings reveal that more than half of respondents believe the UK’s political system is broken, with just a third expressing confidence it is working.
The results coincide with warnings from Hope not Hate of a broad far-right movement which has coalesced under the “anti-mainstream politics” sentiment and is active online and through street protest, but is non-party or organisation-defined.
The polling, released by the group ahead of publishing its annual report on Monday on the state of the far right, also found that less than 10% of people closely identify with any leading political figure.
By contrast, the reach of far-right personalities can be large, with nearly four in 10 revealing that they had watched or heard one of Tommy Robinson’s videos on social media, although only 6% of Britons have a positive view of the former English Defence League (EDL) leader, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon.
“We are facing a crisis of growing political mistrust across all sections of the population, with no figure able to galvanise the support they need to overcome this disconnect,” said Nick Lowles, chief executive of Hope not Hate. He added: “A mistrust in political representatives adds potency to a mix of unmet expectations, broken promises, and possible further decline and anger.”
