The Economist recently described English political views as "nasty". _The Economist_.

This is called the Overton Window. It's typically the case for any system you are within, that the majority will consider the local "norm" to be moderate/centrist/etc.

Looking at international politics, or even (perhaps more relevantly) the history of UK politics, modern UK politics is extremely far right. Labour is a very good example (considered by many within the UK to be left). They have been right-wing since the "New Labour / Blairite" movement (verifiable either by comparing their policies to pre-Blair Labour, or to international socially democratic contemporaries). A similar example is the UK media coverage of Corbyn: his political views - which align very well with the Labour party historically & with international socially democratic parties - were portrayed as being communist/socialist. Corbyn's political ideologies never varied over the decades of his career, nor became more extremely left; rather modern UK discourse moved right, placing him left of the "new centre".

Corbyn self-identifies as a socialist.

Yup. Corbyn lives in the UK. Politics is relative.

Conservatives have been drifting right to absorb UKIP, so while you're not technically wrong that England has edged closer to the far right, the reality is that the government is more right leaning than ever.

I dare say even leaning towards fascism the way that they're rewriting rules to protect big dog.