Dear Poor People,

If Farage is a banker from a line of bankers, then our founder is a poor from a line of poors. And you know what? We wouldn’t have it any other way.

We will call for policies that protect you — all of you. Because we both know the truth: poverty doesn’t care about your skin colour, religion, gender, sexual preference, or age. It affects everyone the same. And we will fight to protect you all just as fiercely. Sometimes, though, that won’t always be possible. But that’s okay, and here’s why.

There is a certain privilege to poverty that those who have never experienced it don’t understand.

Does that sound out of touch? Do you feel like we are already forgetting you? We aren’t. Allow us to explain. Do you know how many people are doing just fine in almost every aspect of life — good relationships, a decent job, stable mental health — yet their only problem is money? It might not even be that much — a few hundred, a couple of thousand, maybe. They might need it for a bill, to visit a loved one, or to buy something that would greatly improve their life. How many people like that do you think there are? Hundreds? Thousands? Hundreds of thousands? More? And how often do you think we walk past them? Every day.

When you’re poor, there’s nothing you can do to help. But when you’re wealthy? You walk past people like that every single day, people you could help very easily. And yet, you don’t. What does that do to your conscience? What does it do to your soul? Well, poor people will never know — they couldn’t have helped them anyway.

Okay, maybe that’s a dramatic example. But we know firsthand the resilience poverty enables you to develop. The problem-solving skills. We know how it creates community. It’s strange how it’s always those with the least who are most willing to share what little they have. We know how determined we can be. We’ve watched countless young lads wake up at 5 a.m. to go for a run because they’re training to be footballers. And sometimes, we have watched them become Wayne Rooney or Steven Gerrard. We are sincere when we say there is a beauty — and a real privilege — to being poor.

However, there is also a lot of stress and heartache. No one should ever have to choose between turning on the heat or feeding themselves and their children. No one should be living on our streets who didn’t choose that life. We are going to use every ounce of our strength, courage, and energy to make sure that happens less and less on this island. We will fight for every single one of you. But we are going to ask something of you in return, I’m afraid. We are going to need you to fight for us now.

This community is notoriously disinterested in politics. We understand that. But listen, right now we are up against a whole political class and system that does not want us there,thinking these thoughts, saying these things. But if you stand with us, they won’t be able to stop us.

If, in the future, we seem to forget all this — if we start protecting only one group of poor people instead of all of you — hold us accountable. Show us these words. We will remember our responsibilities. But, between us, I don’t think we will ever forget. The simple fact is, we don’t want to.

So, what do you say guys? Me, I say these out of touch, stuffy politicians have been able to ignore you for long enough. Now, together, with this party – you’re no longer their service users, you’re their colleagues – and they have worked very, very hard to make sure that would never happen. Too bad.