The anti-elite: 12 populist heroes who are absolutely not the elite

Power to the people: ‘Unelected, unaccountable elites, it’s time to say ‘you’re fired’… It’s the invincible arrogance of Europe’s elites that gets me’.

Elite credentials: A former president of the Oxford Union, and senior columnist at The Times newspaper, not to mention MP since 2005 and former holder of two secretary of state roles.

2. Nigel Farage

Power to the people: ‘Come and join the People’s Army… Let’s topple the establishment that led us into this mess’

Elite credentials: Educated at independent school Dulwich College, followed in his father’s footsteps to the City of London and high finance. As an MEP, with his wife on the payroll, the couple took in a combined annual income and allowances of £109,000

3. Donald Trump

Power to the people: ‘Globalisation has made the financial elite who donate to politicians very, very wealthy’

Elite credentials: An Ivy League graduate who inherited much of his wealth and has led a life of extraordinary luxury and privilege. He has boasted about paying as little tax as possible and has a gold-plated lift to his home.

4. Jeremy Corbyn

Power to the people: ‘I’ve spent over 40 years in politics taking on the establishment’

Elite credentials: For more than 30 of those years, Corbyn was a backbench MP many of whose biggest battles have been with his own colleagues. Now that he is the party’s leader, that is still the case. And he’s on the Privy Council.

5. Steve Bannon

Power to the people: ‘An elite is someone who’s for themselves and not for the country’

Elite credentials: Ivy League graduate, former Goldman Sachs banker, now Trump’s chief strategist and senior counsellor.

6. Theresa May

Power to the people: ‘Too many people in positions of power behave as though they have more in common with international elites than with the people down the road’

Elite credentials: Oxford University graduate and former consultant at the Bank of England. An MP since 1997, she has a Coutts bank account and her husband is a City banker.

7. Boris Johnson

Power to the people: ‘[Britain is] locked in an EU of an unelected elite frankly indifferent to the suffering their policies’

Elite credentials: Educated at the European School of Brussels, Ashdown House School, Eton College and Balliol College, Oxford – where he served as president of the Oxford Union and was a member of the Bullingdon Club.

8. Liam Fox

Power to the people: ‘I think the Remain campaign increasingly looks like the elite, the establishment … the leave campaign, it has something of a peasants’ revolt about it’

Elite credentials: Privy Council member and GP Dr Fox has been an MP for 25 years and has held numerous top Tory jobs including party chairman, secretary of state for defence and secretary of state for health.

9. Douglas Carswell

Power to the people: ‘Ruling elites have always despised democracy. Don’t be duped by their deception. Britain will be better off with the public in power’

Elite credentials: Without breaking any Commons rules, Carswell, now a UKIP MP, spent £655 of taxpayers’ money on a deep moss brushed cotton ‘Maximus Loveseat’ for his second home and his hobbies include making quince jelly.

10. Arron Banks

Power to the people: ‘These elites are shrieking because they can feel the power slipping away from them. Enough already’

Elite credentials: The UKIP donor owns a diamond mine and a framed $5 bill signed by multi-billionaire Warren Buffett hangs on his office wall.

11. Paul Dacre

Power to the people: Sample Daily Mail front page – ‘Lies. Greedy elites. Or a great future outside a broken, dying Europe … If you believe in Britain, vote Leave’

Elite credentials: The Daily Mail’s editor’s 20,000-acre Highlands estate near Ullapool offers deer stalking, grouse shooting and salmon fishing.

12. Richard Desmond

Power to the people: Sample Daily Express leader: ‘The rich and powerful want to dictate to the peasants’

Elite credentials: The Express owner Is worth £2.25billion