Love him or hate him, Farage's easy manner and plain speaking are setting the political agenda

To his supporters he is a man of the people, the great white hope to a population that has grown weary of the traditional parties, and their apparent inability to live up to their promises. To his detractors, he is the enemy of progressive values, a rabble rouser who uses 'dog whistle' messaging to stoke up division.

But love him or loathe him, he is a master of communication.

To those disaffected with the carefully on-message soundbites of the established politicians, his jovial, relaxed demeanour seem like a breath of fresh air. 

Speaking in Stafford yesterday, he cheerfully admitted that he wasn't going to please everybody, and told his new councillors that their first responsibility was to those who had voted Reform, or who might potentially do so in future. Some might recoil at such a brazen admission, but many others will admire his openness. The Reform leader gives the impression of saying what he means, whether one likes it or not, and it is that sense of authenticity which is picking up support at the moment.

There is a long way to go until the next General Election. And the difficulty for Mr Farage is that the more established Reform becomes in the polls, the greater scrutiny the party will come under.

The voters of Eccleshall and Gnosall already face the prospect of an unwanted by-election after one of Reform's new councillors resigned just a fortnight after winning the seat, and who knows how many more slip-ups there will be along the way. Many will also remember how the Social Democratic Party once looked like it would spell the end of Margaret Thatcher's premiership, just two years into her third term - and we all know how that ended up.

But like it or not, Nigel Farage's easy manner and plain speaking is setting the political agenda at the moment. Sir Keir Starmer, Kemi Badenoch and Sir Ed Davey would all do well to learn from that.