News in English

‘War to reclaim Britain’: Internet personality launches campaign for U.K. prime minister

WND 
Andrew Tate of the BRUV Party

JERUSALEM – The new year is barely one week old and there have already been several events whose potential political fallout is immense. However, Justin Trudeau’s plummet from grace has nothing on one of the unlikelier headlines to emerge in the last 24 hours, namely British-American influencer Andrew Tate’s apparent intention to run for prime minister of the United Kingdom.

Tate took to X to launch the BRUV party – Britain Restoring Underlying Values – which he claimed was aimed at restoring the “once Great Britain.” He made another radical claim; namely that if change had not been effectuated within 45 days, he would step down.

“No delays,” he wrote on X. “Bruv” is also a slang term, like “bro,” in the U.S. and is most commonly heard in the south of the country, particularly certain areas of London.

“This is a war to reclaim Britain,” the home page for the charter states. “No excuses, no compromises, no second chances. We will defend our borders, crush crime, purge corruption, and restore pride to a nation under siege.”

“Britain will rise again – stronger, unyielding, unapologetic,” it added. “If you want safety, power, and freedom, join the fight. The time for talk is over. It’s action or nothing.”

There were immediate teething troubles for the @votebruv handle on X, as the account was suspended within hours of its launch. Tate wrote personally to X CEO Elon Musk to say they had broken no rules. Some three hours later, Musk personally responded to Tate to say the handle was back up, saying he was not sure why it was suspended.

One of the BRUV party’s charter’s main ambitions is to center its primary alliance with the United States, “Not E.U., not U.N., not NATO and not WHO,” according to Tate.

Also in the charter was a commitment to harsher migration policies and a reduction in knife crime, which is particularly prevalent in large swaths of the capital, London, through stricter punishment and and deterrence strategies, such as through live telecasting solitary confinement of knife-crime offenders.

Tate also called for reform of the British Broadcasting Corporation, which he labeled a “rotten institution,” while accusing them of “sexual abuse scandals,” “allegations of child exploitation,” and “reports of pornographic content.”

This particular comment seems like an exhibit of Chutzpah 101, as Tate – who self-identifies as a misogynist, who has been recorded as saying women should “bear responsibility” for sexual assault, has been credibly accused, along with his brother and confidant, Tristan, of trafficking at least one underaged girl, as well as sexual misconduct.

The most recent British election was in 2024, and officially, if the government maintains its enormous working majority of more than 300 seats, there need not be another one until 2029. While there is currently enormous pressure on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, especially over his personal handling of the Muslim rape gangs issue, and his and his party’s deep unpopularity, things will remain as they are for the foreseeable future.

Tate’s alleged bid is a curious one. The U.K. system is nothing like the U.S., where a complete outsider such as Donald Trump, could descend the golden escalator in 2015 and announce his candidacy for the Republican nomination, and eventually win.

Over the years there has been the odd member of Parliament who won a seat having stood as a protest candidate against an unpopular incumbent, but there is no comparison as to what would be required for a brand new party to sweep to power. Look at Nigel Farage. He started his political career largely in protest at Britain’s continued presence in the European Union. It was only after he had already become a Member of the European Parliament and stood in numerous U.K. general elections that he finally won his own parliamentary seat in the 2024 election.

While it is true things move much more quickly these days and the reach someone like Tate would have among disaffected voters – particularly young working-class men – is significant, it seems difficult to believe he could ever have enough support to sweep to the top job, especially in a country in which he would likely be immediately arrested if he returned.

Читайте на 123ru.net