Nigel Farage has often talked about spotting and exploiting gaps in the market. So it is no surprise that one of his former aides is now doing the same. Step forward Raheem Kassam, the bomb-throwing onetime UKIP-per, who has made a name for himself in the US as the co-owner of Butterworths, a favorite hangout of “MAGA” in Washington DC. Word reaches Cockburn that Kassam is pitching up in London more frequently these days and intends to become a fixture of the media landscape for the foreseeable future. Get the smelling salts in…

Kassam is expected to launch a new UK version of his site, the National Pulse. In the mid-2010s, Kassam edited the old Breitbart London site that was a favorite of right-wingers in Britain. The National Pulse UK is set to hire a dozen writers, influencers and researchers, with a seven-figure budget likely to be secured. It is squarely aimed at hoovering up Telegraph subscribers, disillusioned by reports that favored columnists are set to be among the 100-odd staff culled in a recent round of lay-offs. With many in Reform feeling unable to get a fair hearing in the mainstream press in recent months, such a project is viewed as a way for the party to make itself heard, with plenty of access-based content.

Of course, Tim Montgomerie, formerly of Conservative Home, had previously announced a similar project: 500 days. But when it comes to “critical friends” in the media, Kassam will likely put more emphasis on the noun rather than the adjective. Butterworths’ loss is Britain’s gain…