London – Nigel Farage, the unique populist leader of Britain’s general election, sent shockwaves across Britain by returning to frontline politics last week as his party looks set to shatter the Conservative Party’s century-old grip as the country’s most popular right-wing force.
Faraz announced on monday He said he would lead the right-wing Reform UK party and seek a seat in Parliament from the seaside town of Clacton-on-Sea in the July 4 general election to “make Britain great again.”
“So I’m back. I’m standing as a candidate in this election. I’ve taken over the leadership of Reform UK,” Farage said in a video posted to X, referring to the successor to the Brexit Party. “You know why? I see our country being destroyed. I believe in Britain. These boring idiots leading the Labour and Conservative parties don’t deserve a place.”
The announcement comes after Farage took a nearly half-decade hiatus from political campaigning amid the success of the Republican Party. Brexit Campaign To leave the European Union (EU). The UK voted to leave the EU in a controversial 2016 referendum and formally left in 2020.
Elections are to be held in Britain on July 4. Know the reason behind this
Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage drinks a pint of beer before addressing supporters as he launches his election candidacy on Clacton Pier on June 4, 2024 in Clacton-on-Sea, England. (Carl Court/Getty Images)
“I cannot turn my back on the millions of people who followed me, who believed in me,” Farage said in a speech. “I have changed my mind because I cannot let millions of people down.”
Farage’s campaign faced some problems early on, as a woman threw a McDonald’s milkshake at him as he was leaving an event. Local police arrested the woman on suspicion of assault.
The populist leader’s political return is likely to throw the Conservative Party’s already weak election campaign into disarray. Prime Minister Rishi SunakWho had suddenly announced elections last month amid declining popularity and internal turmoil in the party.
A YouGov poll this week said that Farage-led Reform UK is only two points behind the Conservative Party and could soon become the country’s second most popular political party. The poll said that around 17% of voters surveyed would support Reform UK, while 19% would vote for the Conservative Party.
According to the same survey, the Labour Party led by Keir Starmer will get 40% votes and will get majority in the Parliament.
“Finally Britain has a politician who is willing to stand up and say what people have been saying for years,” Thomas Corbett-Dillon, a former adviser to former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, told Fox News Digital. “There will be no more immigration. Most of the issues facing our country, the lack of housing, the lack of healthcare and the lack of jobs, have been made worse by the Conservative Party, who have imported millions of people from the Third World against the will of the people.”
“Nigel Farage has become the most important politician in Britain and could truly live up to the title of the British Trump,” he said, adding, “Farage is breaking the established Conservative Party, just like Trump broke the established Republican Party in 2016. MAGA Americans should support Nigel and the Reform Party from across the pond.”
Nadine Dorries, a former Conservative cabinet minister who served under former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government, predicted Reform UK was on track to become the country’s main right-wing party.
“I’m guessing that after the tumultuous events of the last few days over the selection of candidates, the Reform Party will overtake us by Saturday evening,” Doris said. said on xHe referred to internal conflicts within the party over which candidates should be allowed to contest in select constituencies.
Nigel Farage campaigns with President Trump in Goodyear, Arizona during a 2020 presidential election campaign rally. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
The Conservative campaign has so far failed to gain momentum and has been affected by a number of political miscalculations, while Reform UK is gaining momentum and outpacing the Conservatives on right-wing issues such as immigration and patriotism.
On Friday Sunak had to humbly apologise after leaving a D-Day commemoration programme early to give an election interview, which will only air next week. “Following the conclusion of the British programme in Normandy, I returned to the UK. On reflection, it was a mistake not to stay longer in France – and I apologise,” Sunak wrote on X.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak calls for a general election on May 22, 2024, outside Number 10 Downing Street in London. (Reuters/Maja Smieczkowska)
Farage hit out at Sunak’s D-Day gaffe, saying the Conservative leader “couldn’t even be bothered to attend the international event over Omaha Beach”, while in another post on X he said “patriotic people who love their country should not vote for him.”
Parliament House in London on September 23, 2022. (Chris J. Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The Conservative Party, commonly referred to as the Tory Party, attempted to counter the growing popularity of Reform UK by promising to curb immigration, and highlighted plans to send some refugees to Rwanda as a deterrent against illegal immigration.
Meanwhile, Reform UK has committed to aggressive action on immigration, proposing “one in, one out” immigration quotas and increased taxes on foreign workers.
Net migration levels reached nearly 700,000 last year, a figure which both the Conservative and Labour parties promised to reduce if they came to power.
British PM unexpectedly announces early election, Conservative Party in turmoil: ‘Suicide mission’
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage (center) is surrounded by a crowd as he embarks on his general election campaign launch in Clacton-on-Sea, England, Tuesday, June 4, 2024. (James Manning/PA via AP)
Farage’s party represents the most powerful challenge to the Conservative Party’s dominance as the country’s main right-wing political force, potentially reshaping the party and pushing it further right-wing.
In 2016, at the height of the campaign to leave the EU, Farage’s former pro-Brexit political party, the UK Independence Party (UKIP), won around 17% of the vote, forcing the Conservatives to move further to the right and adopt the policies of insurgent populists.
In the 2019 election, Farage’s Brexit Party agreed to recall candidates and not oppose Conservative candidates in return for the Conservative Party agreeing to a timely exit from the EU without delay. Reform UK and Farage have denied a similar deal in this election.
Under Britain’s first-past-the-post electoral system, the candidate with the most votes in a constituency wins the seat, which means Farage and his party are currently projected to win just four seats in the new parliament.
Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer delivers a speech to supporters during his visit in Lancing, West Sussex on Monday 27 May 2024. (Stephen Russo/PA Images via Getty Images)
The party is expected to contribute heavily to the Conservative Party’s electoral defeat by splitting the right-wing vote, leaving the way clear for Labour Party candidates.
“Faraz knows Reform will not win any seats, but he cares little about the fact that voting for Reform will only benefit Labour. He is doing exactly what Keir Starmer wants him to do,” the Conservative Party said in a statement.
Click here to get the Fox News app
In Clacton, Farage will face a tough contest against his Conservative rival Giles Watling, despite the town’s overwhelming support for right-wing candidates.
This will be Farage’s eighth attempt to win a seat in Parliament.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
