Farage revealed he would be standing in the constituency of Clacton in Essex on the east coast of England. He said he had experienced a change of heart the day before, when he “popped to the pub” to think the matter over and realized he felt a “terrible sense of guilt.”
He declared that “nothing works” in Britain and that it was up to him to lead a “political revolt.” He also announced he would take over from Richard Tice as leader of their upstart Brexiteer party, Reform UK, for the next five years.
Reform is the successor to Farage’s previous electoral vehicle, the Brexit Party, which stood aside in hundreds of seats in the 2019 election to aid the Conservatives, then led by the Euroskeptic Boris Johnson.
His decision to take a different approach to Sunak’s Conservatives is the prime minister’s worst nightmare.
Bombshell announcement
Farage’s stunning decision landed between two major polls showing the Conservatives taking a huge hit in the upcoming election.
A poll of 50,000 people by YouGov found Labour on course for a bigger win than Tony Blair achieved in 1997, with the party forecast to bag 422 seats in the U.K’s 650-seat parliament, reducing the Conservatives to a rump of 140 seats. A second More in Common poll of 15,000 voters forecast a Labour majority of 114, with the Conservatives sinking to 180.
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
