For most of his life, Nigel Farage was known in Britain for being a fervent right-wing activist, perched at the political fringes. When he started the Reform party (originally the Brexit party) in 2018, he had unsuccessfully run for the national parliament seven times over 30 years. These days, however, he heads a genuine political force. Reform UK's support is rising — a point underscored at last month's local elections, which they dominated.