Nigel Farage declared “Britain is broken” as he addressed a packed rally in Leeds, but his visit was met with protests outside the venue and a sharp political backlash from Green Party leaders in West Yorkshire.
The Reform UK leader took to the stage at the First Direct Arena on Tuesday evening, using the event to set out his party’s ambitions ahead of May’s local elections, where hundreds of council seats across West Yorkshire are up for grabs.
Framing the country as in decline, Mr Farage told supporters: “Nothing works. We need to turn around the mess of economic decline, societal decline, frankly a failure of leadership across both parties and broken promises.
“We now need leaders and politicians who believe in putting the British people first, and that’s us.”
The rally comes as Reform UK looks to build on significant gains made in last year’s local elections, where the party secured 677 seats across England and took control of Doncaster, the only council Labour was defending at the time.
Mr Farage said he believed Reform had “every chance” of making further breakthroughs in Yorkshire, naming Barnsley, Wakefield and other nearby areas as key battlegrounds.
“We are going to make a real dent,” he said, pledging lower council tax rises than rival parties and a crackdown on what he described as “wasteful expenditure” in local government.
He also repeated calls for tougher action on illegal migration, including detention and deportation, and criticised the UK’s net zero targets. Positioning Reform as a party for “small and medium-sized businesses, shopkeepers and hard-workers”, he ended the rally by inviting local candidates onto the stage, praising those who had “put their head above the parapet”.
However, outside the arena, protesters gathered to voice opposition to his appearance, accusing him of promoting divisive politics.
One demonstrator said: “I’m protesting against Nigel Farage coming to our city, spreading his divisive right-populist rhetoric.”
Another added: “I’m as British as anyone else and I thoroughly disagree with what Reform put out. I think they’re very divisive.”
Others called for Mr Farage to “get out of Leeds”, with one protester saying: “We don’t want to see him in Leeds, we don’t want to see him do well in the elections.”
The political fallout continued beyond the rally, with Green Party councillors in neighbouring Bradford issuing a strong response to Mr Farage’s comments and Reform’s electoral push.
Councillor Matt Edwards, leader of the Green group on Bradford Council, said the Reform leader’s rhetoric was “typical” of his political approach.
“Nigel Farage’s politics has always been about division, distraction and blaming others,” he said. “Just like his friend Donald Trump, he throws out claims about communities he does not understand instead of offering serious answers to the challenges people face.”
Councillor Edwards argued that the Green Party’s growing support in Bradford was rooted in local delivery rather than rhetoric.
“Across the district, from Bierley to Silsden, people are choosing Greens because they see councillors who work hard, listen to residents, and actually get things done,” he said.
He pointed to policies focused on tackling fly-tipping, improving street cleanliness and supporting small businesses, adding: “Our record speaks for itself, and that’s why more and more people are putting their trust in us.”
The Greens have seen a rise in national momentum over the past year, including a parliamentary by-election victory in Gorton and Denton and a surge in membership, alongside polling gains.
Councillor Edwards also challenged Reform’s record in areas where it holds power, claiming the party had failed to deliver on its promises.
“Reform makes big promises, but where they are in power the reality is very different,” he said, citing council tax rises, proposed care home closures in Lancashire and spending decisions in Kent.
“In Bradford, this election is becoming a clear choice — between Reform’s politics of chaos, division and empty promises, or a Green Party offering hope, real change and a better future for our communities.”
Voters across West Yorkshire will head to the polls on 7 May, in what is shaping up to be a closely contested set of local elections.
Note: Article updated by Sanah Akhtar
