Ukip Clacton by-election victory: Nigel Farage's 'salesman deluxe' look seems to have struck a chord with 'ordinary' Britons

But if his rivals were to start wearing 'camofarage', would it work for them?

Nina Dempsey
Monday 13 October 2014 06:25 BST
Comments
The Ukip leader enjoys a pint with locals
The Ukip leader enjoys a pint with locals (PA)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

If we're living in the age of personality politics, only Boris Johnson could take on Nigel Farage. BoJo may have the tousled demeanour that Londoners find irresistible but, outside the capital, Farage's "salesman deluxe" smoothie look is, well, a banker. The Ukip leader's image seems to have struck a chord with "ordinary" Britons, which must rankle with those other party leaders.

But if they were to start wearing "camofarage", would it work? Well, David Cameron is, on the surface of it, best suited to the cords and Crombie uniform beloved of poshos everywhere. He could slip down the road from Sam Cam's top people's stationer's Smythson and pop in to pick up a pair of Bur-bray brogues, pausing only for a slightly overweight slice of fruitcake, washed down with a pint of Stella (McCartney)? Why not drop the pretence of navy jeans and polo shirt and play to your strengths, Dave? Next time you go to rainy Cornwall, try a Bar-bore mac.

He's more at home on the tennis court than the golf course, but Nick Clegg might do well to switch to Farage (rather than Farah) slacks so beloved of the Ukip leader when he's teeing off, although Lib Dem supporters probably feel Clegg swings too much as it is.

And for Ed Miliband? A few too many pints down the pub might have been a crowd-pleasing way of excusing his lapse of memory during the conference speech. And a touch of yellow (in the form of country-gent trousers) hints at a new coalition. But, given the fix he's in, he could do worse than send the Spads to Westfield to pick up a Giorgio Faragi suit, and team it with a Ukipper tie.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in