Party modernization and the populist far right in the UK : a case study of the UKIP and the BNP between 2004-2016

Abstract EN

In June 2016, British voters were asked “Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union? ” To which 52% of respondents answered “leave”.

This vote can arguably be interpreted as a triumph of populism in one of the most liberal polities in the West.

Grounded on the ideational approach, advanced by Cas Mudde, this paper fleshes out the emergence of populism in the United Kingdom.

Using a case study of the UK Independence Party and the British National Party in the period between 2004 and 2016, the article investigates the populist origins of both parties and their subsequent quest for modernization.

Ultimately, it is argued that although the two parties embarked on similar processes of party modernization, it was the UKIP that managed to establish itself as a relatively moderate third-party alternative to the mainstream parties and the extreme far right.