Blurred Boundaries: Some Historical Precedents for Radical Right‐Wing Populism in Contemporary Britain

Abstract

The last decade has seen a surge of academic interest in radical right‐wing populism, a movement that has drastically altered the political landscape of twenty‐first‐century Britain. Prior to 2016, the clearest sign of the populist radical right's ascendency was the rise of the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP), the political party which led the charge for Britain's departure from the European Union. In the wake of Brexit and the 2019 General Election, however, the future of the populist radical right in Britain is uncertain, owing to the resurgence of the Conservative Party and the emergence of a “big tent” populist challenger overseen by UKIP's former leader Nigel Farage. This article explores some of the historical precedents for radical right‐wing populism in contemporary Britain, arguing that the ideological roots of UKIP and its ilk are to be found in the radical traditions of English conservatism, rather than the fascistic heritage of the extreme right. It contends, however, that the ideological interests of conservative populists and right‐wing extremists in the United Kingdom have frequently intersected — and that this blurring of the boundaries is likely to continue in future manifestations of the country's populist radical right.