At this juncture, Chappell lays out two scenarios. In the first, Farage’s wife, Laure, tells him it’s time to stop, and he concurs. The PM goes to see the King – who, by this point, is 81 years old and grievously unwell – and tenders his resignation; His Majesty invites Jenrick to form a government, but it’s clear that Reform has irrevocably split, and a new general election has to be called. There, one version of the story ends.
But an alternative scenario, Chappell suggests, is more plausible. He cites one of the many sources on which he has drawn in writing this speculative account: “When asked to imagine Farage listening to someone telling him to stand down, one former Reform insider said: ‘Nobody could do it, Nigel’s an autocrat.’” It’s therefore more likely, Chappell suggests, that Farage would go rogue. “In this scenario, with a radical Right-wing Reform government unable to pass a budget and teetering on the brink of collapse, and Farage… holed up in Downing Street, it’s perfectly possible that he simply refuses to leave office.”
Farage vs the King
Even the pleas of the King, in line with the sovereign’s constitutional function, aren’t enough to sway the PM. Farage instead attempts to cut a deal with the SNP, in return for a commitment to hold an independence referendum – a deal that risks destroying the UK. It is, in any case, publicly rejected, and with disgust, by the nationalist leader John Swinney. The House of Commons is in disarray; the Speaker won’t take her seat. Even the Chaplain refuses to pray before debates. In desperation, the Speaker’s deputy convenes a plan: Parliament will pass a humble address to the monarch, which will enable the King to demand Farage’s resignation. This is done – yet Farage still refuses to go. With all other options exhausted, an arrest is considered. The military, loyal to the Royal family, will, if needed, be sent into 10 Downing Street.
Laure once again goes into Farage’s study, through the fug of cigarette smoke, to tell her husband the game is up. And finally, Farage sees reality. He quits and leaves in disgrace. An election is soon called, and after barely a year and a half in office, Reform is swept away. Chappell doesn’t predict which party takes power, but he notes that “it takes a year for the next prime minister to get the smell of cigarettes and the red wine stains out of the carpet”.
Chappell – as you might have gleaned – doesn’t attempt to mask his dislike of Reform. He introduces this book by suggesting that “each chapter is also an act of imagination intended to illustrate the vulnerability of Britain’s unwritten constitution, defunded institutions and fraying political norms to a hostile takeover”. What he illustrates is definitely a worst-case scenario.