Nigel Farage's return to politics stirs up the UK election and establishment, earning him the nickname 'British Trump'.
In July's general election, a Reform UK leader is contesting for a parliamentary seat.
Nigel Farage's return to frontline politics last week has caused shockwaves in Britain's general election, with his party set to challenge the Conservative Party's long-standing dominance as the most popular right-wing force in the country.
On Monday, Farage declared that he would lead the Reform UK party and run for Parliament in Clacton-on-Sea in the July 4 general election with the goal of "making Britain great again."
""I am back and running as a candidate in this election. I have taken over the leadership of Reform UK. I am doing so because I see our country going downhill. I believe in Britain, and the current leaders of the Labour and Conservative parties are not worth the space," Farage stated in a video posted to X."
After a nearly five-year absence from political campaigning, the announcement was made following the success of the Brexit campaign to exit the European Union (EU). The UK voted to leave the EU in the divisive 2016 referendum and officially departed in 2020.
"I can't abandon the millions of people who supported me and trusted me," Farage stated in his speech. "I've altered my stance because I can't disappoint those individuals."
The woman who threw a McDonald's milkshake at Farage during his campaign launch was arrested by local police on suspicion of assault.
The Conservative Party's election campaign, led by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, is at risk of being disrupted by the return of a populist leader.
This week, a YouGov poll showed that Reform UK, led by Farage, is only two points behind the Conservative Party and could soon become the country's second most popular political party, with 17% of surveyed voters supporting Reform UK and 19% voting for the Conservatives.
According to the poll, the Labour Party, under Keir Starmer's leadership, is predicted to receive 40% of the vote and gain a majority of seats in Parliament.
"Thomas Corbet-Dillon, a former adviser to former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, stated on Planet Chronicle Digital that the U.K. finally has a politician who is willing to address what the people have been saying for years: "No more immigration. The majority of issues facing our country, including lack of housing, overwhelmed health services, and lack of jobs, have been exacerbated by the Conservative Party, who have imported millions of people from the third world, against the wishes of the people.""
Nigel Farage has emerged as the most influential politician in the U.K. and could potentially fulfill the title of the British Trump. Farage is challenging the traditional Conservative Party in the same way that Trump disrupted the Republican Party in 2016. MAGA supporters should back Nigel and the Reform Party from overseas.
Nadine Dorries, a former Conservative cabinet minister who served under Boris Johnson, predicted that Reform UK is likely to become the dominant right-wing party in the country.
Dorries predicted that Reform would surpass the party in the polls by Saturday evening due to the appalling events surrounding candidate selection, which resulted in internal clashes within the party.
While the Conservative campaign has struggled with miscalculations and lack of momentum, Reform UK is gaining ground on the right-wing issues of immigration and patriotism.
On Friday, Sunak was forced to issue a groveling apology after he left a D-Day commemoration event early to conduct an election interview that will air only next week. He wrote on X, 'After the conclusion of the British event in Normandy, I returned back to the UK. On reflection, it was a mistake not to stay in France longer – and I apologise.'
Sunak's D-Day error was seized upon by Farage, who criticized the Conservative leader for not attending the international event above Omaha Beach. In another post on X, Farage stated that patriotic people should not vote for him.
The Conservatives, commonly known as the Tories, aimed to counteract the growing popularity of Reform UK by pledging to reduce immigration and emphasizing their plan to send some asylum-seekers to Rwanda as a way to discourage illegal migration.
Meanwhile, Reform UK pledged to intensify its efforts to control immigration, advocating for a "one in, one out" migration quota and imposing higher taxes on foreign workers.
Nearly 700,000 people migrated to the UK last year, a promise both the Conservatives and Labour Party made to reduce if elected.
The Conservative Party's dominance as the country's premier right-wing political force is being challenged by Farage's party, which is likely to reshape the party and push it further to the right.
In 2016, UKIP, the political party led by Farage, polled at around 17%, prompting the Conservatives to shift their policies towards the populist right.
In the 2019 election, Farage's Brexit Party agreed to stand down candidates and not oppose Conservative candidates in exchange for the Conservative Party agreeing to a timely departure from the EU without any delays. However, Reform UK and Farage have ruled out a similar deal this election.
Under Britain's first-past-the-post electoral system, Farage and his party are projected to win only four seats in the new Parliament, with the candidate who receives the most votes in a given area winning the seat.
The Conservatives' electoral defeat is predicted to be massive due to the party's expected failure to unite the right-leaning vote, allowing Labour Party candidates to win.
The Conservative Party stated that Farage is aware that Reform won't win any seats, but he doesn't seem to care that a vote for Reform only helps Labour. He's doing exactly what Keir Starmer wants him to do.
In Clacton, although the town strongly supports right-wing candidates, Farage will face a challenging contest against his Conservative opponent Giles Watling.
This will be the eighth time Farage tries to secure a seat in Parliament.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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