Not so long ago Nigel Farage was riding high in the opinion polls and blithely picking out new curtains and cushions for No 10. But despite this week’s words of defiance, and the claim that Andy Burnham has just given him the biggest boost to his electoral career, you have to wonder whether the bubble of boast and bombast has burst for Farage. 

A series of jaw-dropping financial allegations have besieged Farage – throughout which he has denied any wrongdoing – and he’s been attacked on all sides, with some of the most vicious slings and arrows coming from other right-wingers.

Added to Farage’s woes is that there has, of course, been a change of prime minister. Burnham is still being given the benefit of the doubt, mainly because, against the usual expectations we have of our modern-day politicians, he acts and sounds like a relatable human being. His speech to the Labour Party conference was stripped of the usual cliches and dog whistles and he sounded both genuine and sincere. 

This used to be the Farage USP. His schtick was being the straight-talking man of the people who cut through the political waffle with a pint in his paw, a fag in the corner of his mouth and a quip on his lips. Burnham does it far better, without the cigarettes. 

And our newish Prime Minister has also dared to bring up the formerly taboo subject of the UK rejoining Europe. While only in the sense that Burnham is thinking about taking the nation’s pulse on the issue, rather than implementing any tangible road map for change, Burnham even broaching the subject shows how much Farage’s grip on the country has........

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