From lockdown to legitimacy: how pandemic fringe politics pushed populism into the mainstream

From lockdown to legitimacy: how pandemic fringe politics pushed populism into the mainstream

It is easy to forget how surreal the early months of 2020 felt. Six years ago, the UK entered an unprecedented period of nationwide lockdowns in response to Covid-19. Yet alongside this public health emergency, a quieter but consequential political shift was underway, one that would help reshape the trajectory of right-wing populism in Britain. Today, Reform UK presents itself as a credible contender for power. Yet its origins are rooted in that…