25/05/2026
Do you recognise that young chap?
In all my time in politics, by-elections have been key.
This was my first - Eastleigh, in 1994. UKIP was just six weeks old! I was 30, trading commodities in the day, and campaigning every spare hour I had in the evenings and weekends.
My friends all thought I was bonkers. 'Nigel, what are you doing getting into politics? Standing as a candidate? What's U-K-I-P?'
It was a hellish workload. But I just couldn't stomach watching Britain lose our sovereignty - what so many had sacrificed so much for, and the entire political class just go along with it. Connive, in fact, to give it away.
I won 952 votes, 169 more than Screaming Lord Sutch next to me.
In the 90s and early 2000s, our goal in by-elections was to keep our deposit. To get just 5% of the vote!
We didn't manage it then, but we did in my next by-election in Bromley in 2006. We won 8% of the vote and pushed Labour into 4th. The Labour candidate then? A very young Rachel Reeves.
As UKIP strengthened, by-elections were key to our success.
In 2011, we came second - for the first time - in Barnsley. In late 2012, we came second again in both Rotherham and Middlesbrough.
It was clear to me then Labour's connection with its traditional, patriotic voters was much weaker than the London dominated Labour Party realised.
We also mullered the Conservatives in these by-elections. They were one of the reasons Cameron popped up a few weeks later promising a referendum on Europe. Clearly voters didn't much trust him - as we smashed the Conservatives in the 2013 Eastleigh by-election. We got nearly 12,000 votes this time, not 900.
And then 2014. The break-through year. We won our first seat in the Clacton by-election. And that same night, we lost Heywood & Middleton by just 617 votes - a seat that had been Labour for as long as it had existed.
A few weeks later, even though Cameron "chucked the kitchen sink at it", we won in Rochester and Strood - which was then our 271st target seat!
All this teed up our 4 million votes in 2015, Cameron having to hold the referendum, and Britain regaining its independence.
But let me tell you this: the Makerfield by-election is probably more important than all of them.
If Andy Burnham wins, he'll become Prime Minister.
Open Borders Burnham will do nothing to stop the boats. In two years, Starmer has let over 70,000 illegal migrants in. If he wins, I bet you Burnham will let in even more. As Mayor, he said he was "proud to welcome" illegal migrants to the Manchester region.
He'll also likely give British citizenship to around 1 million migrants who the Tories let in who are contributing little or nothing in tax. If he does, they'll get full access to our social housing, welfare, NHS, and pensions. We just can't afford that.
Just like Starmer, Burnham has backed men in women's changing rooms and sports.
The main difference between Burnham and Starmer? Burnham thinks your taxes should be even higher. He's backed millions of Brits paying much higher council tax. He's backed a rise in income tax. And he wants to introduce a 'death tax' - the Government getting even more of your money when you pass.
Makerfield doesn't need Open Borders Burnham, or anymore Labour.
Makerfield needs our brilliant candidate, Robert Kenyon.
A plumber and veteran. Unlike Burnham, he's real person, not a career politician. Robert actually lives in Makerfield and cares for it. His family have lived there for hundreds of years!
It's hard to believe it's now 32 years since that 1994 Eastleigh by-election.
And it's hard to believe how far we've come. From 952 votes then to decimating Labour and the Conservatives in their heartlands in the 2026 local elections.
For the first time in 100 years, a party that isn't Conservatives or Labour, Reform, has led the polls for well over a year.
We are closer than ever to the Government we've needed for a long time. One that will stop the boats, deport all those here illegally, end mass migration, restore law and order, cut the tens of billions being wasted, and cut people's taxes and bills.
But to achieve that, we need to do as well as possible in Makerfield. Every vote matters.
I've kept fighting for Britain since 1994.
I now need to ask you a favour.
If you live in Makerfield, please campaign as hard as possible for us until 18 June. Tell all your friends and family why they've got to vote Reform. Spend your evenings door-knocking.
Even if you don't live there, please do some campaigning if you can. Give up some of your weekend or evenings.
The more doors we knock on, the more leaflets we hand on, the better we'll do.
And the better chance we'll have of finally turning this great country around.
