‘Flags, Fears and Friction’: Understanding the Populist Moment in Today’s Britain

On Wednesday, 22 October 2025, the Market Research Society’s Social Equity Group hosted Flags, Fears and Friction — a free public webinar examining how national identity, belonging, and social division shape the current cultural climate in Britain.

Representing Resilience & Reconstruction, Steven Lacey joined the panel to discuss insights drawn from our recent collaborative research with The Outsiders on the emergence and evolution of Far-Right and Right-Wing Populist movements. His contribution explored how narratives of grievance and belonging coalesce into political identity and cultural mobilisation.

Steven Lacey outlined eight typologies shaping today’s populist-right ecosystem and unpacked their shared drivers — distrust, disillusionment, and the strategic repurposing of fear. He also examined the rise of conspiracy-driven communities, the redefinition of trust in online spaces, and the appropriation of traditional values, such as motherhood and freedom of speech, as tools of ideological influence. The discussion further illuminated how these narratives reposition exclusion as empowerment and polarisation as authenticity.

Joining Steven were Asad Dhunna, CEO of The Unmistakables, speaking about the evolving role of DEI in an era of populist rhetoric, and Annabelle Phillips CMRS, Co‑Chair of the MRS Social Equity Group, presenting new research on working-class perspectives and shared values across communities. 

The session was chaired by Zoë McQuillin, guiding a rich dialogue on identity, inclusion, and the social forces reshaping Britain’s political landscape.

Flags, Fears and Friction provided critical insight into how populist communication strategies thrive in times of instability — and reaffirmed the importance of research, reflection, and collaboration in addressing the narratives that divide.