 Welcome to the latest edition of Washington Secrets. Today, we have an interview with Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform U.K., about his relationship with President Donald Trump, as well as a slightly cheeky reminder that the turnover in Britain's Conservative Party (four leaders in as many years) means they are not very well known in Washington anymore. It is not always easy being an ally of Donald Trump. Just ask Nigel Farage. The leader of Britain's Reform U.K. party heads into local elections that could remake British politics with his own party at the top, but he will be keeping one eye on what the President of the United States is doing. Farage was an early backer of Trump, whose rise to power coincided with the British politician riding a populist Brexit wave. Farage has at times acted as Trump's warm-up man on the U.S. campaign circuit, and the two have traded tactics. But there are limits. Farage, now a Member of Parliament, has new responsibilities as his party challenges for power. And he has sometimes been more vocal in setting red lines. "Do friends always agree on everything? No, they don't," he told Secrets by phone after stepping off a plane in London recently. He had just returned from Dubai, where he was the star turn at a party for GB News, the right-wing TV station where he is a host. "You know, I didn't agree with the Canada stuff at all," he said about Trump's plan to make America's northern neighbor the 51st state. "Obviously, how could I when the King is head of state there?" "But do I believe he is a friend of Britain? Absolutely," Farage continued. "We just need a leadership that can work with America more closely." That leadership, of course, is him. Reform is ahead in the polls, somewhere around eight points clear of Labour and 12 points ahead of the Conservatives, and has wooed a string of high-profile defections. The United Kingdom's first-past-the-post voting system makes it hard for new parties to turn those sorts of numbers into national power, but, as I reported recently with my colleague Timothy Nerozzi, May's local elections could see Reform make a breakthrough. There is still another Trump-shaped "but" coming: Farage's relationship with the president could be a problem for his party, particularly with women. A December 2025 YouGov tracker poll found that 72% of Britons had an unfavorable opinion of Trump, compared to just 22% who viewed him favorably. And January polling by More in Common, a British think tank, found that 25% of women viewed Farage's support for Trump as the main reason not to vote Reform. As well as on Canada, Farage has distanced himself from Trump's Greenland plan and repeatedly broken with the American president on Ukraine. He urged more support for President Volodymyr Zelensky and dismissed a White House peace plan last year as simply "not acceptable." Those disagreements, however, are not the reason that Farage will be missing the Trumpfest at this year's Conservative Political Action Conference, where he has previously been one of the event's biggest draws. Organizers have moved CPAC from National Harbor, Maryland, to Dallas and shifted it back in the calendar from late February to late March, when Farage will be gearing up for those local elections at the start of May. "Had it been February in Dallas, I would have come," he said. "Now that it's March in Dallas, you know, I'm going to be on the road in Britain." Secrets could almost hear Farage winking down the phone line as he added a quick caveat. Perhaps he would find time to visit, Farage said, if the Trump administration forced the British government to ditch its controversial plan to hand the Chagos Islands — specks of rock in the Indian Ocean that would be insignificant if not for the U.K.-U.S. joint military base at Diego Garcia — to Mauritius. The issue is a hobbyhorse for Farage, who sees it as a symptom of declining British influence. "I might well come and say thank you," he said before ringing off. You are reading Washington Secrets, a guide to power and politics in D.C. and beyond. It is written by Rob Crilly, who you can reach at secrets @ washingtonexaminer dotcom with your comments, story tips, and suggestions. If a friend sent you this and you'd like to sign up, click here. Who he? While we are on a British tip, Secrets heard about a story recently that illustrates why Farage may be well-placed to capitalize on his U.S. ties. It involves Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the U.K.'s Conservative Party, and her (note the pronoun) attempt to meet President-elect Donald Trump in December 2024. Badenoch had only just won the party leadership and was travelling to Washington for the annual International Democracy Union meeting. Her people asked a well-connected conservative figure to help the leader of His Majesty's Opposition set up a meeting with Trump. No problem, came the response according to our source. What's his name? Painful for the party that sees itself as the natural ally of American Republicans. And a reminder that Trumpworld knows very well who is the leader of Reform U.K. White House fury at crime stats headlines There is good news in the latest crime figures from the nation's biggest cities. Homicides fell by 19% and robberies dropped about 20%, according to the report by the Major Cities Chiefs Association. Washington, D.C., saw one of the biggest drops, with homicides falling almost a third between 2024 and 2025. The numbers were reported by Axios, but were couched in comments that they were part of a long-term trend — including improvements in mental healthcare, gun restrictions, and reductions in lead in water — that began before Trump took office. Cue White House frustration, focused on a graph shared by Axios, with the comment: "Crime plunges in major cities despite Trump's crackdown rhetoric." "This ridiculous framing is why Americans don't trust the media," said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in response. "President Trump securing the border, mobilizing federal law enforcement to arrest violent criminals, and deporting the worst of the worst illegal aliens is EXACTLY what's driving the massive drop in crime." Lunchtime Reading The three House Republicans who bucked Trump on tariffs: Signs of Trump's political fallibility were on full display on what some journalists dubbed "setback Tuesday". Along with his defeat in trying to prosecute Democrats who told service personnel they were allowed to disobey illegal orders, a House GOP attempt to block future votes on the President's tariffs until the end of July failed when three Republicans joined Democrats in blocking the procedural measure. The new right: Anatomy of a global political revolution: A dive into how right-wing forces beyond the old mainstream are gaining ground on both sides of the Atlantic. This is the view from Europe, and it lays out the challenges and opportunities for traditional politicians who find themselves as representatives of the status quo. | 
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