By GB News (Politics) | Created at 2026-09-04 14:21:20 | Updated at 2026-09-04 16:30:23
2 hours ago
Jordan Bardella seemed to know Reform UK’s 2026 conference was not exactly the natural stomping ground for a cross-Channel renaissance.
“Sorry for my accent,” the fresh-faced 30-year-old Frenchman joked from the stage.
But to the Reform faithful packed into the NEC’s main stage, his appearance was less diplomatic curiosity than historic conquest.
In a victory that might even have made Napoleon Bonaparte blush, one Reform member fawned as Mr Bardella launched into an almost aggressively British display of self-deprecation.
“Your accent is beautiful," came the cry from one woman to the left of the main stage.
For a party whose political identity has been forged largely in opposition to Brussels, it felt almost surreal to watch a French politician receive one of the warmest welcomes in the room.
Mr Bardella's homage to Nigel Farage himself appeared to stave off any animosity, with a rapturous round of applause greeting the Frenchman's Clacton celebrations.
However, there was also some rather contrite appreciation of the United Kingdom, something Winston Churchill once accused Charles de Gaulle of lacking.
"France had lost the battle, but thanks to the United Kingdom, she could continue the war," Mr Bardella said. "That is what binds our two nations together."
While the National Rally president opened with an account of Anglo-French history, the substance of his speech that mattered most was about the future.
"I deeply believe that the United Kingdom and France will shape the future of our continent together," he said.
France, one of the two big boys in Brussels, could soon be looking outside the bloc to forge a new Entente Cordiale.
While the Brexit campaign was seen as an issue solely fixed by national sovereignty, Mr Bardella has found an appetite for a new form of cross-Channel cooperation with Mr Farage.
"We know that leaving the European Union does not mean living European civilisation," Mr Bardella explained.
"For us patriots, Europe is not simply the bureaucracy of Brussels. Europe is first and foremost a history, a culture and a civilisation.
"And we share all the civilisation, we share the same values, the same concerns and we face the same challenges."
Mr Bardella, who admittedly does not support Frexit, also appeared to echo the message used by Brexiteers against the continent in 2016.
"Together, we must take back control of our borders," he said.
However, it was also on the cost of living, energy independence and freedom, where Mr Bardella was striking the right chord in Birmingham.
Remainers have long accused Brexiteers of casting aside centuries-old friendships in pursuit of freedom.
But Europe has changed drastically since the 2016 referendum. Yes, it has become even more centralised, but it is also more right-wing, more concerned about migration, and more sceptical about net zero.
Labour's relationship with Emmanuel Macron, both under Sir Keir Starmer and Andy Burnham, has certainly helped reduce the number of small boat arrivals this year.
However, Mr Farage and Mr Bardella have been singing from the same hymn sheet: the Channel crossing crisis will end.
“We are about to sign a historic document that will stop the boats forever," the Reform UK leader roared while standing alongside Mr Bardella.
Reform UK is no longer a party solely looking across the Atlantic, where Donald Trump remains a polarising figure among a large chunk of the electorate.
It is now searching for allies across the continent it once hoped would implode.
Giorgia Meloni's coffee date with Kemi Badenoch suggested another potential alliance for Mr Farage.
The Italian Prime Minister was forced to reject Tory claims she had warned Mrs Badenoch about the ills of Reform UK.
However, Nigel Farage simply cannot resist taking a gentle poke at Europe — even an invitation to Paris comes with a joke at its expense.
"The only downside to that speech is that I think they're going to invite me to go to Paris and I'm going to have to speak French," the Reform UK leader quipped.
However, all of this is dependent on one thing: Reform UK and National Rally winning the keys to power.
If they do, the great irony of Brexit may be that Britain’s political future is not about turning its back on Europe at all — but discovering that leaving the European Union never meant leaving Europe behind.
