No amount of defections will change the fact that Reform and the Tories are singing the same tunes | John Harris

"The Birmingham reggae band UB40 began as a quintessential product of the troubled era when Margaret Thatcher was the UK's prime minister, archly taking their name from the attendance card needed to claim unemployment benefit, and singing songs about life at the sharp end of her rule. Their peak period lasted until the early- to mid-1990s. In 2008, there came a rupture due to management and business disputes rather than anything musical which opened the way to the choice that now confronts"

"Given their staunchly anti-Tory roots, I'm not sure any of the musicians involved would appreciate comparisons that involve such politicians as Robert Jenrick, Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch. But the drama currently gripping the people and parties vying for leadership of the British right fits the UB40 model like a glove. Here, after all, is the story of two estranged groupings that now have almost exactly the same worldview:"

"Politics is not like the market for ageing reggae acts: at the key points on the ideological spectrum, there tends to be room for just one viable force. Last week's drama Badenoch's discovery of Jenrick's planned defection, his brisk sacking, and the same day's Farage-Jenrick press conference took the battle for supremacy to a new level. Over the weekend there have been no end of stories and"

UB40 formed in Thatcher-era Birmingham, named after the unemployment attendance card, and produced politically charged songs; their peak lasted until the early-to-mid 1990s. A 2008 management and business rupture split the band into two performing groups: one led by former singer Ali Campbell, and one retaining the original name and featuring his brother Robin. The current British right shows a parallel split: two estranged groupings share a Thatcherite, pro‑Brexit, and immigration-focused worldview while battling for leadership. Personal animosities and defections from the Conservatives to Reform UK have intensified competition, and recent events involving Jenrick, Badenoch and Farage escalated the struggle for supremacy.

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