Nigel Farage was spotted sporting a friendship bracelet in the style worn by Taylor Swift fans while on the campaign trail.
The Reform UK leader was pictured wearing a woven, braded bracelet with the word ‘Reform’ in colourful letters – similar to those worn by ‘Swifties’ on the superstar’s record-breaking Eras Tour.
It comes as Taylor, 34, will kick-off her three-day stint at Liverpool FC’s Anfield Stadium tomorrow evening with 53,000 fans forming the crowd.
Fans of the singer have already taken over the city by racing around Merseyside to collect last-minute merchandise and glitter to complete their themed outfits.
Speaking of Mr Farage’s bracelet, Dr Benjamin Linley Wild, Senior Lecturer in Fashion Narratives at Manchester Metropolitan University, called the accessory a ‘strategic choice’.
‘As Farage seeks to split the Conservative vote and demonstrate that Reform UK can become a credible opposition party, it hints at a more approachable, possibly more emotional side to his character. It suggests Nigel is ”like us”,’ he told The Telegraph.
Excitement was building in Liverpool today with Taylor’s devoted loyalists going around Merseyside collecting merchandise and accessories to finish off their outfits.
Speculation is mounting that huge stars could be accompanying Swift on what will her hundredth show of the Eras tour, with fans suggesting Liverpudlian legend Sir Paul, Florence and the Machine frontwoman Welch or Swift’s fellow American Del Rey could be surprise guests.
Swifties of all ages have travelled from far and wide to attend the sold-out show, with groups of women flocking in from the United States, Canada and across Europe.
Groups of concert-goers were seen posing for selfies on the city’s Taylor Town Trail – a group of eleven art installations dotted all over the city, with each piece representing a different album, or ‘era’.
Kaylee Williams, 18, from Manchester, told : ‘This is our version of football.
‘You see all the lads getting together, getting excited for the game, asking who’s going to win – this our version of football.’
Her friend, 18-year-old A Level student Maddie Hulton, who has a ticket for Saturday, said: ‘I am looking forward to everything – the glitter, the friendship bracelets, the whole thing. It’s true girlhood.
‘Everyone is coming together and everyone is so lovely and friendly. Everyone’s trading bracelets in the queues. I am going on my own but I don’t feel like I will be alone because everyone is so nice.’
Super fan Chloe Milner, 26, from the Wirral in Merseyside, is going to every one of Swift’s shows in Liverpool.
She said: ‘I have been a fan since I was little and she was the first album I bought, Fearless. Something will definitely happen in the hundredth show.’
Swifties, however, have not just travelled from all over the country to see the Cruel Summer singer at her first show in England but from all over the world.
Stephanie von Neudegg, 33, and MJ Sheridan, 26, travelled across the Atlantic from western Canada to attend the concert.
Miss von Neudegg: ‘We have come here from Western Canada just for Taylor Swift and we leave immediately tomorrow afterwards.
‘We booked it months and months ago. It was the only place we could get tickets and Canada was very, very expensive.’
Miss Sheridan added: ‘We had tickets to Seattle – which is about an hour plane ride from us – but it was going to be four times the price to go there than Liverpool.
‘We have been fans of Taylor Swift since the dawn of time and it’s great to be going together because a lot of our friendship is based around her.
‘And to be in a stadium full of other people who are unashamed Taylor Swift fans is going to be so fun.’