Savitha Prakash, an NHS doctor living in the London borough of Harrow, believes there are similarities between the
Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage, and India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi. “He’s [Modi] one of those people, like Nigel, he walks the talk. He made [a] difference to the country,” said Prakash, who chairs Reform UK’s branch in Harrow.
In particular, the 47-year-old said Farage and Modi – who have each been accused by their critics of scapegoating marginalised communities – were focused on putting the needs of the majority first.
“There was a time before [Modi] came into power that minority appeasement was normal,” she said. “Everybody believed that if you want to be in power, you have to appease the majority. Today’s Nigel speaks the same thing. He speaks about looking out for the majority.”
Prakash, a first-generation immigrant born in India, said this was one of many reasons behind the growing support among British Indians for Reform UK.
Last year,
research by the 1928 Institute – a group of Oxford academics who analyse the British Indian community – showed support for Reform had risen from 4% in 2024 to 13% in 2025. “British Indian support for Reform is significantly lower than that of the general UK population. However, there is a strong upwards trend in support,” the report said.
Prakash is one example of this trend. She arrived in the UK from the southern Indian state of Mysore in 2003, aged 23, on a visitor visa to complete her medical exams. She got a job as a junior doctor in the NHS and was granted a work visa, before being granted indefinite leave to remain (ILR) and British citizenship.
https://www.theguardian.com/politic...nigel-farage-reform-uk-harrow-local-elections
Interesting piece showing a big uptick in support for Reform in the British Indian community.