This is the pro-Brexit and anti-immigration campaigner’s eighth attempt to secure a seat in the House of Commons. His previous seven attempts have all failed.
Pro-Brexit and anti-immigration activist Nigel Farage returned to the forefront of British politics on Monday, announcing that he would take the helm of the right-wing Reform UK party and run in the July 4 parliamentary elections.
Mr Farage said he would stand in the seaside town of Clacton-on-Sea. It is about his eighth attempt to get a seat in the House of Commons. His previous seven attempts have all failed.
This announcement, which constitutes a headache for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, comes days after Mr Farage said he would not run because it was more important to support his ally Donald Trump in the US presidential election in November.
Although Mr Farage has some chance of beating the incumbent Conservative MP for Clacton and being elected on July 4, he acknowledged his most important aim was to lead the “real” opposition to a Labor Party government if the The ruling Conservative Party lost, as many predicted.
Mr Farage said he wanted to lead a “political revolt…, where we all turn our backs on the political status quo”.
It seeks to reiterate the populist political pressure that pushed for, and subsequently won, a referendum on Britain’s exit from the European Union in 2016.
“ I can’t turn my back on these millions of people who followed me, who believed in me ” said Mr Farage. “ I changed my mind because I can’t let millions of people down “.
In an upbeat announcement speech, Mr Farage, who was a member of the European Parliament for more than 20 years until Brexit, stuck to his usual script of decrying careerist politicians, elites outside scope and mass immigration.
The 60-year-old politician also said he would take over as leader of Reform, the successor to the Brexit party. This role has been held since the founding of Reform by Richard Tice, with Farage serving as honorary chairman and charismatic figurehead.
The center-right conservatives, who have been in power for 14 years, face a widespread sense of desire for change from voters. On July 4, British voters will elect the 650 seats in the House of Commons. The leader of the party that obtains a majority in the House of Commons – alone or in coalition – will become Prime Minister.
The frontrunner is Labor leader Keir Starmer, who pledged Monday to keep Britain’s nuclear weapons while seeking to dispel criticism that his center-left party is soft on defense.