The far right has been successfully stepping into the vacuum and weaponised that resentment into a toxic “Us v Them” narrative, which was reflected in the recent local elections in St Helens. St Helens is on Merseyside, situated between Liverpool and Manchester. It has completely changed since Reform UK won a landslide victory last May, gaining 34 seats out of 46 elected, whereas Labour lost 25 councillors and secured merely two seats. Dr George Woodward, Reform UK Leader of St Helens Borough Council, shared a statement on Facebook: “We don’t consider celebrations of sexuality, especially those with left-wing political leanings such as Pride, to be appropriate for St Helens Borough Council to dedicate valuable officer resources.” Organising against Reform in St Helens today requires that exact material approach.