By Hopewell Chin’ono
Britain is paying a heavy economic price for Brexit. Leaving the European Union was one of the most consequential political decisions in modern British history. Ironically, many of the politicians who championed that campaign remain popular today. Nigel Farage and his Reform UK party continue to enjoy significant public support.
For me, it is particularly striking because I now live in an area where both local councils are controlled by Reform UK. It is another reminder that people often vote for personalities, slogans and promises rather than carefully examining the evidence. They are sold dreams that never materialise, yet many continue to believe them.
If you point out that Britain’s economy has been weakened by Brexit, some people simply refuse to accept it. Rather than engaging with the facts, they cling to the narrative they were sold.
Meanwhile, some of the political figures who drove the Brexit campaign continue to profit politically and financially from it. Nigel Farage has recently found himself embroiled in allegations relating to financial interests worth millions of pounds, yet his support remains resilient.
It is a reminder that misinformation, personality politics and populism are not uniquely African problems. They exist in the West too. The assumption that Western electorates are somehow immune to political manipulation is simply not borne out by reality. Britain and Brexit are a clear example of this reality.