Pod Save the UK Farage’s Wild Week: Energy bill stunts and questionable Cameo videos
Mar 19, 2026
Anne McElvoy, POLITICO executive editor and political commentator. Ben Tarnoff, tech writer and co-author of Muskism. Quinn Slobodian, historian and co-author of Muskism. They dig into Reform UK’s energy-bill giveaway and its voter-data angle. They unpack Nigel Farage’s paid Cameo clips and the controversies around them. They explore Muskism, Big Tech’s power, and what that means for politics and sovereignty.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Reform Lottery Is A Data Mining Fundraiser
- Reform UK’s energy-bill lottery is primarily a voter data grab dressed as charity.
- Coco Khan and Nish Kumar point out entrants give contact details and the stunt builds a campaigning database funded by big donors like a crypto billionaire.
Reform Presents As Champions Of Capital
- Reform UK champions the wealthy and deregulated capitalism rather than broad-based tax fairness.
- Nish Kumar cites Richard Tice's REIT tax avoidance story and Farage defending paying no more tax than legally required as evidence of pro-capital stance.
Farage Cameos Include Extremist Praises
- The Guardian found Nigel Farage made thousands of Cameo videos including clips praising rioters and promoting far-right events.
- Coco Khan and Nish Kumar read examples where Farage charged for messages used by extremists and repeated anti-immigration slogans.
