From Outsider to Powerhouse, Amidst Champagne and Celebrity

Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, is enjoying a surge in popularity in Washington DC. Republicans are eager to meet him, the media is clamoring for interviews, and there are rumors of a $10 million donation in the works. This is a stark contrast to his 2016 visit, when he was relatively unknown among the city's political and media elite.

Farage's newfound popularity was on full display at a recent party hosted in his honor at one of Washington's top hotels. The event, titled "Stars and Stripes and the Union Jack," was attended by a who's who of British and American political figures, including former Prime Minister Liz Truss, former MPs Nigel Adams and Tobias Ellwood, and Trump advisors Steve Bannon and Seb Gorka. Guests enjoyed champagne, British classics like fish and chips and roast beef, and local seafood delicacies.

The party was such a hot ticket that even Peter Mandelson, the former British Foreign Secretary, wanted to attend, but was blocked by outgoing ambassador Karen Pierce. Farage was followed everywhere by cameras and an entourage of adoring fans, and Reform UK treasurer Nick Candy revealed that one attendee wants to donate $10 million to the party to help them oust Keir Starmer.

The event was a far cry from the typical British political party, which often takes place in a sweaty room above a pub and features glasses of room-temperature white wine. One delighted US reveller exclaimed that he had had a fantastic time, and I was happy to inform him that it must have been down to us Brits.