Nigel Farage is returning to the leadership of the Reform UK Party, formerly the Brexit Party which he founded, and will stand for election in Clacton, a seat where his former party UKIP previously enjoyed electoral success.
However, the Brexit leader made clear his ambitions were more national and long-term than merely looking to one seat at next month’s general election, as he laid out a plan for the next elections in five years and beyond. Even so, this election could see a major upset, Farage said, clearly buoyed by a major new poll today that shows the Conservative Party of Rishi Sunak — essentially the default governing party of the United Kingdom for two centuries — heading for a wipeout defeat.
Farage said he aimed for his party to “get many, many millions of votes” next month, more than the four million he got in 2015, and floated the possibility that Reform UK could actually eclipse the Tories themselves in terms of actual votes cast. He said: “We’re going to get a huge number of votes. I think there’s every chance we can get more votes than the Conservative party, I genuinely do… they are on the verge of total collapse and frankly, it couldn’t happen to nicer people.”
"I'm coming back as leader of Reform UK, but not just for this election campaign. I'm coming back for the next five years" @Nigel_Farage#BritainNeedsReform pic.twitter.com/EqKes0WHeW
— Reform UK (@reformparty_uk) June 3, 2024