London, Jun 3 (PTI) Nigel Farage, the former chief of the erstwhile Brexit Party and UK Independence Party (UKIP), on Monday announced that he had changed his mind to overturn a previous decision not to contest the July 4 general election.
The controversial British politician told reporters at a press conference in London that he will take over the leadership of the anti-immigration Reform UK party and contest from the staunchly pro-Brexit seat of Clacton in Essex, south-east England.
Farage, 60, claimed he had a terrible sense of guilt for not putting himself forward when the election was called, saying he felt he was letting [his supporters] down after he had ruled out contesting.
I’ve changed my mind. It’s allowed, you know, it’s not always a sign of weakness. It could potentially be a sign of strength, said Farage.
So, I am going to stand in this election. I’ll be launching my candidacy at midday [on Tuesday] in the Essex seaside town of Clacton. I can’t turn my back on the people’s army. I can’t turn my back on those millions of people who followed me, believed in me despite the horrendous things that were being said about me, he said.
His decision to jump into the fray will rattle Prime Minister Rishi Sunak-led Conservative Party, which is already trailing in all pre-election surveys, as it could mean a loss of votes further to the right of the political spectrum to the Farage-led Reform UK.
It will also give Farage the chance to take part in television debates, where the impassioned campaigner will use the podium to attack the main political parties.
Ahead of the announcement on Monday evening, Sunak was asked what impact Farage as a candidate could have on the Tory chances.
One of the two people will be prime minister – either [Labour leader] Keir Starmer or me. A vote for anyone who’s not a Conservative candidate is just a vote to put Keir Starmer in Number 10, he responded, sending out a clear message to his party’s hard-core supporters.
Meanwhile, a major new YouGov poll released by ‘Sky News’ on Monday claims the Opposition Labour Party could be on course to win a historic landslide of a 194-seat majority. The poll has Labour on 422 seats, up 222 compared to the 2019 results based on newly carved constituency boundaries.
This projection is the highest number of Labour seats on record, and a much bigger majority than anything seen in the UK since the Second World War. PTI AK GSP GSP
