OPTIMISTS are currently witnessing a positive political development: the pending civil war between Nigel Farage and MP Rupert Lowe.

Lowe recently initiated his own political party, Restore, with 10% support in the first relevant opinion poll. The same poll had Reform on 25% but Lowe intends to steal votes from his former boss.

A bitterly split far right should mean that self-harm doesn't come to typify the UK as we move into the next decade.

Mr. Lowe was excluded from Reform by Mr Farage for "serious bullying" - denied of course. The best bully is obviously Farage himself - watch the sideways glances of Reform "stars" who speak in the presence of the "Boss". Reform versus Restore sounds like a pantomime; not so.

Both leaders, claiming to be "men of the people", were at very posh schools. Both made much money in investments; Mr Lowe somehow managed to combine the finances of Southampton football club and a care home fund.

One of Nigels' stunts was to let his photo help with the sales of gin. So a suitable motto for both possible PMs - expect the unexpected.

Rupert has stolen Nigel's clothes by seizing the ear of Elon Musk, the most powerful of the Tec Bros who view the world as a playground in which they can manipulate political leaders.

Rumour stated that Reform might be boosted by an £80m Elon donation. But, dismissing Nigel as "weak sauce", Musk now supports Rupert.

Both UK leaders insist that they will inspire a proudly independent UK and yet would welcome American wealth making them puppets.

Not to forget that right-hand man Nathan Gill, whom Nigel had said was "the least corruptible....honest and loyal" was imprisoned for 10 and 1/2 years for taking roubles, indirectly, from Moscow. What has become of essential political language: independence, honesty, authenticity?

Nigel's outstanding ability to avoid responsibility for anything "negative" remains his dominant skill. While an MEP he insulted European leaders and profoundly harmed the UK's reputation- adolescent behaviour which he now disavows along with so much else including the shattering of so many aspects of our economy through Brexit.

Even though a majority of Brits now see through his conjuring - 55 to 58 % say that Brexit was a mistake - his malign influence makes discussion of that self-harm a divisive topic.

The recent besmirching of the deaths of 72 London high-rise tenants by Reform's S. Dudley has nothing to do with Farage because the latter was appointed by another Reform "star", R. Tice.

Recently Nigel didn't even want to take responsibility for misinforming us about ownership of the house he occupies, his or his girlfriend's.

The blue-suited wunderkind plays so many tricks: his second wife was German so his sons have dual nationality in order to "maintain their EU freedom of movement " he admits.

This is the very thing that his Brexit denies to millions of other young Brits.

And how far is he still in awe of his transatlantic buddy. As recently as 2020 Farage insisted that Trump represented "decency and plain speaking" and that the President would "bring Israel and the Arab states together in a way that no one would think possible"!

Has Farage the courage and statesmanship now to speak up in defence of UK needs? Mr. Teflon hopes to be in sight of Number 10 if his Party dominates the upcoming May elections.

Can Lowe's Restore seize enough support to make this impossible? Even if this happens the enduring influence of the two parties will be an attempt to make us all thoughtlessly angry at many aspects of modern life and make us hope for the resurrection of a glowing version of the Britain of yesteryear. Really?

Jeremy Hall, Crockenwell