Reform UK have said Zack Polanski sharing an image of a man wearing a guillotine t-shirt and the words 'making plans for Nigel' is 'incitement to murder'. Nigel Farage reacted with fury after Polanski shared a series of pictures of a Green Party event on Sunday with his 713,000 followers.
Image and reaction
One picture features a man with a colourful hat and a t-shirt that says 'We're only making plans for Nigel' – an apparent reference to an XTC song. It features a guillotine but doesn't use Farage's image or name explicitly. The post was hastily deleted, but not before Farage posted a screenshot, adding: 'This is what Zack Polanski has just posted on his Instagram. If I were to post anything as inciteful then I would expect to be arrested, and so should Polanski.'
The £20 t-shirt is made in Manchester. In an online advert, the manufacturer says: 'Who could Nigel be? And why the guillotine? Whether it's a nod to the XTC classic or a sharper bit of political satire, this design is for those who prefer their statements with a side of mystery.' It is sweatshop-free and 100 per cent cotton.
Political fallout
It is understood Reform UK are reporting Polanski to the police over the post. The party's home affairs spokesperson, Zia Yusuf, said in a video 'this is incitement to murder'. A Green Party spokesperson said: 'Once this image was brought to [Zack's] attention he immediately unshared the post. He unequivocally does not support this type of dangerous message.'
Nigel Farage has seen his popularity plummet in recent weeks with the rise of Andy Burnham, who has announced a host of policies to help ease the cost of living crisis. A YouGov poll found Labour is up six points from its low of 16% recorded as recently as May, while Reform UK's figure is the lowest recorded by our tracker since March 2025.
Broader context
Nigel Farage's top rival in the race has also taken on the Reform leader directly, with a promise not to 'accept £5 million gifts from crypto billionaires'. Binface emerged as an unlikely threat to Farage earlier this month, after the under-pressure party leader unexpectedly resigned as an MP so he could rerun in the resulting by-election. The move appeared to backfire quickly, when all the major parties decided against taking part in a vote they described as a 'stunt' and 'vanity project'.
As a result, Farage finds himself facing 33 opponents – a record for a UK parliamentary election – almost all of whom are fringe figures or comedy characters. But it is Count Binface who has most captured the public imagination, with Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves among those revelling in the idea of Farage spending his summer 'arguing with a bin'.
