Inclusive rhetoric, exclusive boundaries: strategic homonativism on the British right

Abstract Recent research shows that right-wing parties across Europe increasingly eference sexual-liberal values alongside restrictive positions on immigration. This article examines when and why such appeals emerge in the UK by analysing homonativism: the strategic alignment of sexual-liberal discourse with nativist exclusion in party politics. Using amixed-method design, the study combines party positioning data from the Chapel Hill Expert Survey with original manifesto analysis of the Conservative Party, UKIP, and Reform UK across UK general elections from 2001 to 2024. Distinguishing between latent ideological positioning, activated issue salience, and explicit mobilisation allows the analysis to capture variation in how parties engage with sexuality and immigration over time. The findings show that despite high public acceptance of LGBTQ rights and sustained politicisation of immigration, explicit homonativist mobilisation has been rare in UK party politics. Only UKIP briefly fused sexualliberal and nativist appeals in the 2017 election. The Conservatives maintained liberal positioning on sexuality but avoided discursive linkage, while Reform UK prioritised immigration and sovereignty while largely excluding sexuality, instead politicising transgender rights as a separate issue. These patterns indicate that homonativism in the UK functions as a contingent and selective electoral strategy rather than a stable ideological orientation. The article contributes to debates on the populist radical right, strategic liberalism, and party competition by demonstrating the value of analysing party positioning and issue salience in tandem.