Not for the first time, Nigel Farage has hit a nerve. At a rally in Birmingham, the Reform UK leader took aim at an increasingly sacred cow in modern Britain: working from home. He called for ‘an attitudinal change to hard work rather than work-life balance’ and claimed ‘people aren’t more productive working from home, it’s a load of nonsense – they’re more productive being with other fellow human beings and working as part of a team.’ Cue a social media meltdown.

What’s curious about the backlash to Farage’s comments is that it comes from all quarters. The influential right-wing commentator Mahyar Tousi called the comments ‘100 per cent false and out of touch with the 21st century workforce’. While Rupert Lowe, admittedly no fan of Farage these days, said ‘blaming working from home for Britain’s troubles is just so lazy’. Many have also been quick to point out that Reform has previously offered its own staff the chance to work from home.

Yet the strength of feeling provoked by Farage’s comments suggests to me that, deep down, his critics know he’s right. According to the Office for National Statistics, 40 per cent of Brits now work from home........

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