Nigel Farage was the frontman for the biggest Establishment stitch-up in a generation

There are serious problems in this country, and pretending they're all due to immigration is extremely convenient for the political elite who impose austerity

Nigel Farage campaigning in Clacton-on-Sea in Essex for Brexit before the EU referendum vote (PA)

Usually when the leader of a party steps down, I feel that it’s right to say something positive about them. More often than not, there’s some part of their legacy which has changed Britain for the better, or helped those in need.
 
But when Nigel Farage announced his resignation this morning I simply couldn’t think of anything positive to say. Not only have his ideas been toxic, but his non-stop scapegoating of migrants has infected our politics and damaged our country. No one would claim the current wave of racism in this country was uniquely caused by Farage, but I have no doubt that some of my constituents who weren’t born in Britain are feeling less safe right now because he has spent so much time trying to stop them being able to move here in the first place.
 
Since becoming leader of Ukip, Farage has used immigration as a diversion from the real challenges this country is facing.  Serious problems – a low wage economy, public services under severe strain and a Britain divided between rich and poor – are being felt in every corner of this country and the biggest Establishment stitch-up in a generation has been blaming migrants for all of them. Farage was the frontman for this unforgivable campaign.
 
During the referendum debates, Farage did something that no-one thought was possible: he sank to a new low. He will be remembered for that disgusting poster which used the suffering of refugees for political gain.
 
Now that Farage is gone some might expect our politics to become more civilised, but that will only be the case if we make it so. His legacy will live on through the capitulation of other politicians when it comes to migration. He began a race to the bottom on the issue – and many other politicians sadly followed suit through “migration mugs” and false promises to “stem the flow” of new arrivals.

It’s now down to all of us to rebuild a post-Farage Britain. For a start, that must mean the Government does the right thing and guarantees EU nationals who live here a right to stay. Failing to commit to such a basic act of human decency is beneath us.
 
We must also do more than begrudgingly accept migration, and instead be honest about the positives it brings. In not doing so, we let the government off the hook for the real challenges we face, and allow pernicious myths to continue circulating – and seep into our national consciousness.
 
We also need to make migration work for everyone because, let's face it, the benefits haven't been shared evenly. It's easy for politicians to ignore how rapid changes in population can cause localised pressure on services, and that employers can drive down wages when the workforce expands rapidly. But let's not think for a second that new arrivals should be blamed for these challenges – or that the government can’t act to solve them.

The Government could make migration work better for everyone by sharing the benefits fairly and making sure nobody loses out. In the first instance, that means extra support to local areas with lots of new arrivals – by ring-fencing the substantial overall economic gains from migration and investing it in local services like schools, libraries and leisure centres. That means not only replacing the migration impact fund but putting rocket boosters on it – and seriously redistributing the wealth some parts of the country enjoy as a result of migration.

It is a sad fact that Farage’s departure won’t end “Faragism”. Indeed, with a different leader and with the Labour Party in turmoil, I worry that Ukip could become even stronger. To defeat Farage’s politics the whole political class of Britain needs to look at themselves in the mirror and ask whether their actions have helped or hindered Farage’s rise. Ukip’s anti-establishment clothing will only be stripped off when politicians from across the political divide put a stop to the race to the bottom on the toxic rhetoric around migration - both by changing the way we speak about migration, and by putting in place policies which make it work for everyone.