Stuart Helmer retweeted
Personally, I think this is nonsense. I will break down what I think is happening in this video.
It appears that Jeff Banks is a longtime Reform supporter, so Nigel is granting him two favors. The first is the opportunity to secure a contract to produce Reform's merch. The second is the opportunity to appear in this video, which effectively functions as an advertisement.
I think it is a mischaracterization to call Jeff Banks a "designer." A more apt term is "businessman." There's nothing inherently wrong with being a businessman, but if we were to survey everyone in the menswear industry, the greatest concentration of hucksters would be in this category.
For decades now, Jeff Banks has been sourcing his production in low-wage countries and then importing those items into Britain, which in turn undercuts British production. For instance, this shirt pictured below, which was made in China. To be clear: there is nothing inherently wrong with Chinese production. Some of it can be quite high-quality. But when someone arrives in the country with only the intention of maximizing profits, quality is not their central concern.
If Nigel actually cared about British manufacturing, he could have contacted @paddygrant, who has been a champion in this area for decades. While Jeff Banks was outsourcing his production, Patrick was not only manufacturing in the UK, but also saving British factories. In 2015, he saved the Blackburn factory Cookson & Clegg from closure by purchasing the operation and saving countless jobs. That factory could have easily made Reform's merch. And the money would have gone to someone who has been a genuine champion of UK manufacturing.
Jeff Banks claims that it's a "nightmare" to produce neckties in the UK, so he had to go to Como, Italy to get his silk. This is the sort of lie you can expect from a huckster who is principally concerned with profits, not British jobs.
I'm sure he knows that Macclesfield has a long tradition of producing British silk. Adamley still produces there, as you can see in the third slide. Some of their designs are inspired by David Evans's archival prints, which would have given Nigel and his team the opportunity to promote a long-forgotten British tradition. (I will save the story for David Evans for another time). These Macclesfield silks could have been given to Drake's, a domestic British neckwear producer.
Yes, this would have been expensive for the end consumer. But this is what you would have had to tell Reform supporters: if you want genuine, high-quality British manufacturing, it will cost you.
Jeff Banks doesn't take this route with his production because he knows supposed "British patriots" are often cheap bastards, much like their American counterparts. So he cuts corners where he can. By cutting costs in this way, you undercut actual British producers. Consumers see this advertisement, go to Jeff Banks, and see that the goods are cheap. They then wonder why British manufacturers are charging so much more.
Unfortunately, this corner of the market is full of hucksters who are not real patriots. Nigel promotes this guy in return for his support, which brings consumers to him, helping line his pockets — much of it cheap imports. If you want real British-made clothing, there is no shortage of options. But you have to be serious about supporting domestic craftspeople and factory workers.
Man of the people update theguardian.com/politics/202…
Stuart Helmer retweeted
Turns out Hannah Spencer's blouse definitely isn't Gucci and didn't cost £2,000
Farage, on the other hand, definitely received 5 million and didn't declare it
Stuart Helmer retweeted
I know it's a common topic, but car owners in Britain have it too easy. We park wherever we want. We drive like utter knobheads. We buy cars too big for our infrastructure and skill. It's got to stop. Far stricter regulations and heavy handed, punishing enforcement required.
Stuart Helmer retweeted
So what happens when Reform take over your local council?
This.
#KentCountyCouncil
Stuart Helmer retweeted
The updates re the new Reform councillors have me gripped. 😫
- Some have quit as they didn't realise it was unpaid
- Another has stepped down as he thought he would be in Parliament
- 2 died before the election (one over a year ago)
- And several others can't be traced....
Stuart Helmer retweeted
Drivers went through red lights 140,000 times in 2025 bit.ly/4cM00iP - and that’s just the 2% of lights which are monitored in 29 police areas. Less than one in five were successfully prosecuted. Have you ever done it deliberately? Why?
Stuart Helmer retweeted
Nigel Farage secretly accepting a FIVE MILLION POUNDS gift from a Thai-based crypto tycoon is one of the biggest political financial scandals of this or any era.
Farage, for himself not the many.
theguardian.com/politics/202…
they'll put a woman in prison for a miscarriage but you can state your intent to let your kids die from a preventable disease and its fine
Stuart Helmer retweeted
Paris - from 0.4% to 11%, an almost 30 fold increase
Berlin - 19% of trips are by bike!
Incredible.
Of course we can't achieve these things in Glasgow because we don't have enough patisseries and hardly anybody speaks German, or something.
road.cc/news/major-city-cycl…
Stuart Helmer retweeted
bio says "proud husband, father of 3, god loving christian ✝️"
and it's the worst person you've ever encountered on here

































