Laurie Ferrari: The Frenchwoman Shaping Britain's Far Right

At a private London club where black ties are mandatory, Jordan Bardella, leader of France's far-right National Rally, listened intently to his interpreter. The meeting was his first with British firebrand Nigel Farage, the man credited with delivering Brexit. Despite intensive English lessons beforehand, Bardella was determined not to stumble. The woman seated between them was no mere translator: she was Laurie Ferrari, 46, from Épinal, France—Farage's life partner and political strategist. Though virtually unknown in Paris, she plays a pivotal role in shaping populist right-wing movements across Europe and beyond.

According to Le Monde, Ferrari was working as a waitress in a Strasbourg restaurant in 2007 when Farage and his friend Godfrey Bloom, both Members of the European Parliament, walked in. They became regulars during parliamentary sessions. Ferrari, then struggling financially after her small clothing design business went bankrupt, spoke fluent English despite not completing her literature studies. She had been politically engaged since voting "No" in the 2005 referendum on the European Constitution. Within months, Farage hired her as a parliamentary assistant—or so she claimed for years. She later revised her account, stating she actually worked for Bloom.

Bloom told Le Monde with British diplomacy: "She had a sharp sense of humor, which is very important for the English." He added with a smile: "She was attractive to men of a certain age."

Ferrari quickly climbed the ranks, becoming head of public relations for the British delegation in the European Parliament—a coalition of right-wing and populist parties including Italy's Lega Nord, Germany's AfD, Belgium's Vlaams Belang, and France's Debout la France under Nicolas Dupont-Aignan. She acted as a go-between. At the time, Farage preferred appearing with Dupont-Aignan over Marine Le Pen's National Front, believing "anti-Semitism is ingrained in its DNA." Le Pen mocked him at a press conference, quipping: "Maybe because his assistants are less attractive than Nicolas Dupont-Aignan's?"—a clear reference to Ferrari.

Their relationship was an open secret in Strasbourg, but Farage was still married to his German translator Kirsten Mehr and father to four children. British tabloids pounced: in early 2017, the Daily Mail snapped Ferrari taking out the trash in her pajamas outside Farage's London flat, dubbing her "the sizzling French waitress." Farage fumbled his explanations and later divorced his wife.

Ferrari proudly told Le Monde she stands behind "three things Nigel did in his life that I encouraged him to do," which make her "proud." First: convincing him to leave UKIP in 2018. "I couldn't stand that party anymore, not even the colors—yellow and purple. I told Nigel he was better than that after Brexit." Second: persuading him to join the reality show "I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!" filmed in the Australian jungle in 2023. Ferrari explained bluntly: "There were two demographics Nigel struggled with: women and young people. The goal was for people to see he's not the evil, racist, misogynistic, homophobic man the press portrays." The show averaged 9 million viewers. She traveled to Australia to greet him as he left the jungle. "It was a chance to say: we're together and we don't care what you think." Third: urging him to run in the July 2024 UK general election. "His ideas were spreading, especially on immigration. Let's call a spade a spade—there was demand for him everywhere he went in the country." He won with 46.2% of the vote.

Le Monde reveals a broader dimension to Ferrari's influence. In 2018, Steve Bannon, former chief strategist to US President Donald Trump, sought to unite Europe's far-right parties. He met Farage, Ferrari, and Belgian Michel Modrikamen for lunch in London. Bannon promised funding from wealthy donors, but the money never materialized. Still, Ferrari helped arrange the historic first meeting between Trump and Farage in 2016 through her Republican Party contacts.

A thorny issue in Ferrari's life is a house she bought for £885,000 in Frinton-on-Sea—a four-bedroom property with a heated pool. Farage initially claimed he was the buyer, but backtracked after a Guardian investigation. He said: "She comes from a wealthy French family and can afford it." However, a September 2025 BBC investigation challenged that: her retired father owned a transport company that closed at a loss, and an apartment in a Strasbourg suburb worth no more than €300,000. When Le Monde asked Ferrari directly, she replied vaguely: "Yes and no. That would be a very large inheritance... There's more than one way to pay for a house." She added: "I can't say how much my grandmother gave me, that's my business. The important thing is I paid all the taxes, there's no tax evasion, and the house is in my name."

Le Monde concluded with a direct question: Can she imagine herself entering 10 Downing Street? She answered cautiously: "Many things can happen before the election," revealing it "would please her" if it did.