Working class communities all around the UK have grown tired of being, as they see it, forgotten by those in Westminster. They have even stopped believing the mantra of the Labour Party, who make the case that they are for the many, not for the few. As dissatisfaction grows, neither of the two party’s, (conservative or progressive) are able to win the confidence of these voters. This has brought revolution to British politics - it is shaking the two party electoral system, in a way that perhaps has never happened. A major reason for this dissatisfaction is because of legal and illegal migration. Many voters see the huge wave of migrants coming to the country as responsible for a huge increase in crime, and a lowering of economic prosperity. No-one seems to believe that either labour or conservative are able to bring the numbers of illegal immigrants down. Its starting to look like the country has completely lost faith in the current political institutions. In many ways, this is similar to the MAGA revolution in America. This total lack of trust had a devastating impact on the local elections. At the start of 2025, reform held zero councils in the UK. Last year they gained 10 councils, and in these election just gone, they gained fourteen more. Over two years they have gone from zero councillors, to nearly 1500 councillors across the country. Based on the local elections, they now have a projected national vote share of around 30%, making them the dominant force in British politics. At the same time, both Conservative and Labour recieved appalling losses - so much so, that Kier Starmer is only just hanging on to being the prime minister. In fact, based on the drama of the last few weeks, it looks like he will have to be dragged out of No.10 Downing Street with his fingernails still scratching the doorposts. 

Leadership Race?

The local elections basically fired a starting gun on a race to be the new leader of the Labour Party. Currently, the two main contenders for the leadership are Wes Streeting (who was the health Secretary until he resigned) and Andy Burnham, the popular mayor of Manchester. But there’s a strange irony to this - the labour party just lost in very similar forgotten towns that chose to vote for Brexit. But both of these men have promised to go back to closer ties with the European Union. Its hard to see how either of them are going to win over these voters, when it looks like they both still represent, even though they may not say it, a continuation of the status quo. Meanwhile, Nigel Farage is waiting with open arms to welcome those voters into his fold. The speed at which he has gone from nothing, to having fully function, national party with astounding. It shows that Britain is going through revolutionary times right now. This can be seen in other ways as well. Last weekend, the activist Tommy Robinson, held a rally in London, to promote free speech, Christian values and an opposition to mass immigration. This rally recieved so much publicity that even Kier Starmer commented on it. He said they were spreading hatred and division, and he also banned foreigners from coming to the UK, if they were coming to attend rally. 

But why is this ongoing revolution interesting to Bible Students? 

The case is often made on Bible in the News for the power of Tarshish representing Great Britain. Therefore, we expect Britain to stand separate from the confederacy of nations that invade the land of Israel in the latter days - as described in Ezekiel 38, among other passages. Psalm 72 supplies us with a hugely consequential piece of information about Tarshish in the context of the return of the Lord Jesus: “The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents” (Psalm 72:10). When Jesus is sitting on his newly established throne in Zion, the power of Tarshish will bring presents to him. Therefore, there must be a literal, latter-day Tarshish, that will submit willingly to the Lord upon his return. On the other hand, the European beast system of Catholic Europe will “make war with the lamb” (Revelation 17:14) and be ignominiously “cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone” (Revelation 20:10). How is it possible, that the UK and Europe, separated only by a strip of water about twenty miles wide, could have such vastly different destinies? What will lead the British Isles to accept Christ whilst Europe makes war with him? The answer to this question is rooted in history. Although the politics and culture of Roman Catholicism dominates the European continent, the same is not true for the British Isles. Britain's 'island story' revolves around a fiercely protestant heritage that denied and opposed the military and religious power of Rome for centuries. Even when the Empire of Rome conquered Britain through the campaigns of Julius Ceasar, it was never subsumed into the Roman identity in the same way that other European nations would be. The white cliffs of Dover have acted as a natural bastion or wall of defence against the evil Catholic rule of Europe that lasted for centuries. While the monarchs of this Island have hardly been paragons of justice and morality, there was nearly always a notable difference from their European counterparts. Britain’s independent spirit was captured perfectly by King Henry VIII who defiantly asserted in grandiose terms that “this realm of England is an Empire”, in order to justify his legal independence from Catholic Europe. While Kier Starmer may not have either the literal or metaphorical guts of King Henry VIII, the precedent of history suggests that Britain will remain separate from Europe. And not just history, more importantly, scripture has laid out a course for Britain which ‘cannot be evaded’, despite even the strongest Europhilic protestations of the civil servants in the UK foreign office. The referendum of 2016, in which the British public voted for Brexit, was an incredibly exciting “sign of the times”. But this is only the beginning of the role that Britain must play in the latter days. Whilst believers in Christ have no part in modern politics, we watch them with keen interest. Always trying to understand how the Most High, who rules in the kingdom of men, will bring about His purpose with His people Israel and the wider nations of the world. It could well be that the drama of the local elections, and the ongoing revolution in Britain is part of this story - as we look to see a Britain aligned with the spirit of Tarshish as defined in Scripture. 

It is certainly possible that as Britain begins to identify more and more with its Protestant roots, its distance from the countries of the European mainland could continue to grow. As the British people connect more with their historic identity, the Tarshish spirit of these isles could grow like never before. Kier Starmer may well be a backward step that results in a huge leap forwards towards Britain’s biblical identity. As is often the case in Bible prophecy, we can see the end picture, but we do not know how that end will be reached.