As the sun set over Chelmsford racecourse, Nigel Farage was projecting a rosy vision of Britain under the rule of Reform. The 'father of Brexit' – who has been accused of risking the break-up of the UK by fanning the factional politics of nationalism – insisted that he has succeeded the Tories as the natural party of the Union.
Speaking as he prepared to give a victory speech in Essex on Friday, Mr Farage rejected warnings that the country is 'sleepwalking into the end of the United Kingdom' after Labour's obliteration in Wales led to Plaid Cymru taking control of the Cardiff government – joining the Scottish National Party (SNP) in leading pro-independence regional administrations.
If Mr Farage's long political march ends in Downing Street, he said there would be no return to the cottage-burning terrorism of the 1970s and 1980s, when Welsh terrorists under the banner of the Sons of Glyndwr firebombed English-owned holiday homes.
'I was accused of being someone who wanted to break up the Union, but we now find ourselves as the largest party in defence of the Union,' said Mr Farage. 'We will have 50 seats minimum in Scotland and Wales together. No other party has more – we're the largest unionist party in the country.'
Mr Farage dismissed claims that he effectively handed the SNP a fifth successive win in Edinburgh by splitting the Right-wing, pro-Union vote with the Tories. 'No, they split the vote,' he says. 'Clearly, they [the Tories] are disappearing in Scotland. They've been as good as useless for the past couple of decades – no one can identify what they actually stand for. Frankly, we are the unionist party in Scotland.'
Channelling the overt patriotism which has fuelled his decades-long career of political disruption, Mr Farage declares: 'It has been a remarkable Union. It's survived incredibly well through centuries and for the benefit of all. To break it up would be a disaster, and we will be robustly defending it. We can make the case with vigour and with power.'
The sight of four Reform UK helicopters landing at dusk in Essex, where Reform has seized control of the council from the Conservatives after 25 years in power, resembled a cross between hit TV series Succession – a money-soaked chronicle of power and politics – and The Only Way is Essex.
Mr Farage bats aside criticism of the £5 million donation he received from Christopher Harborne, a Thailand-based cryptocurrency tycoon, saying it was legal and used to fund his security. And it doesn't seem to have dimmed the ardour of the rapturous, flag-waving loyalists, who still see him as a 'real' person in contrast to typically robotic Westminster politicians.
Mr Farage uses the same word to describe Angela Rayner, the former deputy prime minister who is agonising about whether to run for Labour leadership. Like the famously thirsty Mr Farage, Ms Rayner's lifestyle has come under fresh scrutiny after the Daily Mail revealed she had appeared to be 'absolutely obliterated' during a visit to Strangers' Bar in the House of Commons.
Describing her as 'one of the few people in politics who is better for bar profits than me', Mr Farage said: 'At least she's real, I'll give her that. But would people vote for her?'
He thinks Sir Keir Starmer will be 'toast' as Prime Minister by the summer. 'Our slogan Vote Reform, Get Starmer Out was very successful. The rebellion has started already and it will gather pace. Enough MPs are looking for it, and it is untenable.'
Out of Sir Keir's other potential replacements, Mr Farage argues that only Wes Streeting would 'not take the party down quite such a Left path', while Ms Rayner, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband and Manchester mayor Andy Burnham would all 'magnify' the 'massive economic errors' made by Sir Keir and Chancellor Rachel Reeves.
Mr Farage also believes that Mr Burnham is taking a large risk by planning to quit as mayor and stand for a seat in the North-West in order to enter the Commons and challenge the Prime Minister. 'Is he really as popular as people say?' Mr Farage asks. 'His return is not straightforward and he'd take the party down a Left-wing route and that would be catastrophic for the economy.'
If Thursday's results were replicated at a general election, Reform would be the largest single party but short of an overall majority. Mr Farage repeats his refusal to countenance a pact with Kemi Badenoch's Tories, pointing to Reform's results as proof that there has not been a 'Kemi bounce'. Insisting that the Tory 'brand is damned', he doubts that Ms Badenoch will lead the party into the next election.
At 62, does he have the energy to campaign for another three years and serve as Prime Minister until 70? 'For the minute I feel fine,' he says. He looks slimmer. 'I've been on the road for nine weeks. Also, as we get older we just drink less.' But he is the first to acknowledge that Reform without Farage is Hamlet without the prince. 'I'm trying to appoint well-known people, give the big appearances to others,' he says. 'But clearly I'm still an important part of it.'
