Reuters — British anti-immigration campaigner Tommy Robinson stated he believes the Reform UK celebration is poised to win Britain’s subsequent common election, at the same time as he questioned the credibility of its chief, Nigel Farage.
Addressing an viewers in Tel Aviv on Saturday night, Robinson, who rose to prominence in Britain greater than a decade in the past by organizing protests in opposition to Islam, was met with a standing ovation earlier than a two-hour speech criticizing immigration, the media and the British authorities.
“I believe Reform will win the following election,” he stated of the populist right-wing celebration, which holds simply 5 of the 650 seats in Britain’s parliament however is main in public opinion polls.
Robinson’s prediction for the overall election, to be held by 2029, drew loud applause. However he additionally advised the viewers, which included members of Israel’s authorities, that he doubted Farage could be a “nice pal of Israel.”
“He’s the most effective we’ve. However I believe we’ve to push Nigel Farage,” he stated. “Nigel will go whichever means the wind flows.”
Robinson, 42, whose actual identify is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, stated he didn’t wish to get right into a “slagging match” however then cited previous feedback by Farage, who helped champion Britain’s exit from the European Union, that warned in opposition to politically alienating Britain’s Muslim neighborhood.
“How do you not alienate the Islamic neighborhood? You’re going to need to throw the Jews underneath the bus,” Robinson stated, earlier than repeating that he anticipated Reform would win the following election.
“However when you’ve obtained a frontrunner already placing up the white flag to a hostile neighborhood, then it doesn’t bear a lot hope in Nigel Farage until he’s pushed and compelled by public opinion.”
Britain’s Reform UK celebration chief Nigel Farage holds a shirt signed by him in the course of the Reform celebration’s annual convention on the Nationwide Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025.(AP Photograph/Thomas Krych)
Farage and Reform UK didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark exterior enterprise hours.
Immigration has change into one in every of Britain’s most contentious political points, overshadowing considerations concerning the faltering economic system. Farage has pledged to make it tougher for overseas nationals to maneuver to the nation, whereas the Labour authorities has unveiled measures aimed toward tightening migration guidelines.
Robinson in September organized a nationalist rally in London that attracted greater than 100,000 individuals, with some demonstrators carrying indicators with anti-immigration slogans.
Israel additionally ‘flooded with migration’
In Tel Aviv, Robinson stated that, like “each single Western nation,” Israel was being “flooded with migration,” referring to 1000’s of Sudanese and Eritrean asylum seekers within the nation.
He criticized the British authorities’s latest choice to acknowledge the State of Palestine and spoke about his admiration for Israelis as he stood in entrance of a backdrop that includes the UK’s Union Jack and an Israeli flag.
Shortly after he started talking, a person interrupted, shouting that Robinson was a racist. A number of individuals within the viewers attacked the heckler as safety eliminated him from the venue, with some following the person exterior, punching and kicking him.
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The occasion in any other case handed with out incident as Robinson spoke to an viewers that often applauded and cheered, at occasions chanting “Tommy, Tommy Robinson.”
He additionally criticized Qatar, which has been a frequent goal of criticism by the Israeli authorities however is a detailed US ally and has mediated between Israel and the Palestinian terror group Hamas.
Organizers had stated greater than 1,000 individuals have been anticipated to attend the occasion with Robinson, who thanked the Israeli authorities for inviting him to Israel.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews, a corporation representing the Jewish neighborhood within the UK, criticized the Israeli authorities’s choice to ask Robinson, who it described as “a thug who represents the very worst of Britain.”
British far-right activist Tommy Robinson (C), whose actual identify is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, gestures as he marches with supporters together with far-right commentator Katie Hopkins (CL again) via central London throughout a ‘Free speech’ march, on September 13, 2025. (CARLOS JASSO / AFP)
On Saturday, Robinson dismissed the group as not being consultant of Britain’s Jewish neighborhood. He described himself as a journalist and stated it was fallacious to name him far-right, citing his help for Israel.
Robinson went on trial in Britain final week, accused of refusing to provide police his telephone PIN when stopped underneath counter-terrorism legal guidelines. He has referred to as the trial “absolute state persecution” and stated billionaire Elon Musk was funding his protection.
