“I’ve got one more big card to play in politics in my life. It’s not now,” Nigel Farage said on Thursday, as he effectively announced his candidacy for the 2029 general election five years early.
He would not, he said, be standing for Parliament on July 4, telling his supporters that a six-week campaign was not long enough for him to ensure victory.
Mr Farage had been set to announce his candidacy next week for an expected autumn election and had got as far as making arrangements for a launch event.
He had not made a final decision, but Rishi Sunak effectively made the decision for him by calling a surprise summer poll.
Having decided to sit this one out, Mr Farage was at pains to tell the public – and his opponents – that “I haven’t gone away at all” and even promised that “at some point I will be back as a candidate”.
So there can be little doubt that Mr Farage intends to make an eighth and final attempt to be elected to Parliament at the next election but one.
What is certain is that he will spend the next six weeks making life as uncomfortable as possible for Mr Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer.
By not standing for election (which would have tied him down to fighting a local campaign), he will be free to cause chaos for the mainstream parties by turning up everywhere they don’t want him.
As Mr Farage said in a social media post on Thursday afternoon: “The bad news, Mr Sunak, is that I will be out around the country, fighting, campaigning, appearing on media, supporting [Reform UK leader] Richard Tice in every single way.”
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.
