“UKIP attracts classical liberals.”

The claim that "UKIP attracts classical liberals" contains a kernel of truth but is misleading about the party's actual composition. There is evidence that UKIP did have a libertarian or classical-liberal element. The party at one point described itself as "a libertarian, non-racist party seeking Britain's withdrawal from the European Union." A 2014 Reason article noted that "there are some libertarians involved in UKIP, and more supporting it from the sidelines" and that "UKIP has always been an uncomfortable alliance of libertarianism and populist nationalism." Farage himself previously advocated flat taxes, drug decriminalization, and spending cuts — positions associated with classical liberalism. YouGov polling also showed that around 19% of UKIP supporters had previously voted Liberal Democrat, which could include some small-state or civil-liberties-oriented voters. However, the broader evidence about UKIP's actual voter base strongly contradicts the impression that classical liberals were a significant component. Research from NatCen Social Research found UKIP supporters were predominantly older, working-class, less-educated, and socially conservative. A UK in a Changing Europe analysis found that "UKIP voters in 2015 were as economically left wing as Labour or Green Party voters but were much less liberal." YouGov noted that UKIP voters supported rail nationalization and bank regulation — positions far from classical liberalism. The Reason article itself concluded that by the time of its writing, "it is very much the populist nationalism that has come to the fore" and that classical liberals were finding it "ever easier to resist [UKIP's] allure." In summary, some classical-liberal-minded individuals were indeed attracted to UKIP, particularly in its early years and among activists, but the evidence shows that such voters were a small minority and that the party's dominant supporter base was socially conservative and economically left-leaning, the opposite of classical liberalism. The claim gives a misleading impression of UKIP's composition by highlighting a fringe element as a significant constituency. Sources: Reason, "How Libertarian is the UK Independence Party?" (https://reason.com/2014/05/21/how-libertarian-is-the-uk-independence-p/); NatCen Social Research, "A Revolt on The Right?" British Social Attitudes 32 (https://natcen.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2023-08/bsa32_ukip.pdf); YouGov, "How UKIP voters compare" (https://yougov.com/en-gb/articles/5453-analysis-ukip-voters); YouGov, "The two tribes of UKIP" (https://yougov.com/en-gb/articles/11898-two-tribes-ukip); UK in a Changing Europe, "Social and political values: Brexit five years on" (https://ukandeu.ac.uk/social-political-values-brexit/); YouGov, "UKIP voters now put themselves to the left of Tories" (https://yougov.com/en-gb/articles/11200-ukip-voters-put-themselves-left-tories)